


Pulled in by your current

by StrangeNoise



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Western, Betrayal, Blood and Injury, Character being shot, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Meetings, Gavin is a merman, Grief/Mourning, Hank is a cowboy/farmer in ye olden days, Injury Recovery, Interspecies Sex, Loneliness, Love Confessions, M/M, Medical Procedures, Snarky Gavin Reed, Strangers to Lovers, Younger Hank
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:27:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 25,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29607351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrangeNoise/pseuds/StrangeNoise
Summary: After the loss of his wife and son, Hank leaves his home behind to begin a new life far away from the ghosts of the past. On a small farm in the middle of nowhere, he tries to move on with no one but his loyal dog, Sumo, for company. During a ride across the vast, unused land that is now Hank's property, the man happens upon a lake and its inhabitant: A snarky merman that wants to be left alone just as much as Hank.Despite that, the two men seem to be drawn to one another and, as time passes, form a bond that will change both their lives...
Relationships: Hank Anderson/Gavin Reed, Kara/Luther (Detroit: Become Human), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21
Collections: DBH AU Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my story for the DBH AUBB! I had the honor to work on this with the extremely talented [Carolyn](https://www.instagram.com/carolynhopperartist/) who provided the stunning art for this story! Please make sure to show her some love!  
> Also a big thanks to @Sunkiller44 on twitter for being an awesome beta!  
> It's really been an adventure writing this and at times I thought it would never be finished but here we are now! I hope everyone enjoys!
> 
>  **TW: Injury/character getting shot** There is an instance of a character being shot at some point in the stoy. That part will come in the second chapter and I will warn about it there again. Just wanted to mention it here in case that's a no-go for someone. Nothing more disappointing than starting a fic and having to stop halfway through...

Hank wasn’t sure what he expected. Sure, the place only cost him a handful of dollars so it wasn’t promising anything too great but still, as he got closer to his new home on his covered wagon he began to wonder what he was to expect.

After losing both his wife and son to the flu last winter, all Hank had wanted was to leave his old life behind and find somewhere else to live. He had loved his life back home but after two horrible losses, it was just too hard to bear to return to a house every day with no one waiting for him there but his dog, Sumo. So, once the winter had loosened its icy grip on the country somewhat, Hank had grabbed his few belongings, sold the house he had called home for so long. From the money, he had bought a horse and a wagon to get him and Sumo to the west, and soon enough, he had found a new place to live there. 

Hank had not seen the place before and he did not really care about it either. Once he heard it was affordable and out of town, he paid the owner and got ready to move there.

And now here he was. He passed the rotting fence that showed the borders of the land a while ago and was now finally riding up a barely used path to his new home. What he thought would be a nice, small house was truly more of a shack but Hank didn’t care about that either. It looked like there was plenty of wood around to fix things if need be and winter was far away. Right now, Hank was content as long as he had a roof over his head and the shack seems to provide that at least. There was a second, smaller building a little bit behind the main house and Hank figured that this was where his horse could live. He thought about buying some livestock too, maybe a cow or two and some chickens. Not for company, mind you, but for the convenience of having his own eggs and milk so Hank wouldn’t have to go to the small nearby town quite so often. 

The people there seemed nice enough from what he could tell after spending all of two days there. But he had no interest in forming friendships or actually getting to know anyone. People were just going to ask why he lived all by himself and he was neither willing nor ready to share that story with anyone, let alone someone, who was almost a complete stranger. 

Finally, Hank stopped his wagon in front of the house. Within all of three seconds, Sumo had jumped off and was excitedly sniffing everything in reach. Hank left him to it for the moment, glad to see that at least one of them seemed to be excited about the move and their new home. With a sigh, he unhitched the horse and led it to the small building behind the shack. It did look like a proper stable but the stable of someone, who had lost interest three days into the building process. The place was fully equipped but looked like it had room for three horses at most, which put a damper on Hank’s plans of possibly acquiring some additional livestock. But that was a thought he could leave for later, anyway. He led the horse into a box and gently petted its neck.

“I’ll get you some food and drink as soon as I find a well in this damn place”, he muttered, then left the stables again. 

Outside, he found Sumo eagerly scratching at the door to their new home. His dog’s excitement did bring a small smile to Hank’s face and he hurried to grab some bags from the wagon before hurrying over and unlocking the door. Sumo rushed inside and Hank followed slowly, feeling as if his new life would only truly begin once he stepped across that threshold. But in the end, there was no way Hank could push that fresh start off forever, even if he felt guilty for doing it so soon after his wife’s and son’s passing. Hank’s only comfort was telling himself that his wife would want him to be happy instead of mourn her for the rest of his life. Repeating that sentiment over and over again in his head, Hank finally stepped into his new home.

From the inside, it didn’t look half as bad as from the outside, he found. There was only one room, but it was spacious enough that he and Sumo would not constantly be in each other’s way. The bed was in a cozy-looking alcove in one corner of the room and the fireplace on the other. That was also where most of the windows were, looking out into the east so that whoever lived in this house could wake up with the sun to do their farming work. There was only one spot where one window was cracked a little and a soft breeze blew in, but Hank figured he could cover that up with cloth fairly easily. His more pressing concern was the roof but that, too, seemed to be intact – at least at first glance. Hank assumed he could only truly know once he experienced his first storm in this house but for now, it looked like a place he could live in rather comfortably. 

_ “Cole would have loved this place” _ , his brain supplied unhelpfully which sent Hank’s mood plummeting again. He avoided thinking of his wife and son as much as he could. It made him feel awful for not honoring their memory as he should but at the moment, thoughts of them were just too painful for Hank to bear. He knew he could not avoid them forever but for the moment, he was not willing to give in to them either. 

So, he decided to distract himself. First, he dropped the bags he currently held onto the small table near the fireplace, then rushed back out to get the rest of his meager belongings. Sumo eagerly accompanied him, barking and being excited as he ran to and from the house and inspected every nook and cranny. Once all bags were inside, Hank went to look for a well, which he found soon enough and not too far away from the main house. The soil around looked like someone had planted something there once, possibly vegetables. For a brief moment, Hank considered growing his own vegetables too but then he remembered that his wife was the only person he knew, who could keep any plant alive. And suddenly, he needed to be distracted even more. 

Luckily, finding a bucket and bringing water up and to his horse in the stable proved distracting enough for a while.

By the time the horse was fed, all bags were in the shack and Hank had taken Sumo on a small walk around the area closest to their new home, Hank was properly exhausted. 

Originally, he had planned to take a look around his new home to make sure nothing needed to be fixed but at this point, he was far too tired for any amount of manual labor. The only thing he managed was to set out the bowls full of food and water for Sumo before he grabbed a blanket from one of the bags and curled himself up underneath it on the small bed in one corner of the room. 

He only wanted to take a short nap and then spend the rest of the day fixing up the house and unpacking his bags. But when Hank woke next, the sun was rising in the east, its rays tickling his nose and heralding a new day. 

“Maybe this move was more exhausting than I thought”, Hank muttered as he sat up and stretched a little. The bed here was far less comfortable than the one he’d had back at his old home but at least this one wasn’t filled with the ghosts of the past. 

With a sigh, Hank walked over to the fireplace and was glad to find some firewood already in place for him. Despite the long hours of sleep, he was still exhausted and the idea alone of having to go outside and needing to chop firewood himself was more than Hank was willing to deal with at this point in time. Sighing as he went, Hank lit himself a cozy little fire and went through his bags to find some cooking utensils. 

Not knowing how big his property was exactly, Hank picked up his horse in the small stable later in the day and thought, once again, that he really ought to give it a name one of these days. For now, he simply threw a saddle on its back and put on the reins, and gave it a few friendly pats on the side of the neck for good measure. It took Hank a few tries to actually get on his horse’s back, and he realized that his bed was either far more uncomfortable than he had first thought, or he was truly getting old. All the while, Sumo was running in circles around them excitedly and sprinted off the moment the horse began to move. Hank couldn’t help but smile. He hadn’t seen his dog like this in years and, somehow, the animal’s happiness managed to cheer him up too, if only for a few moments at a time.

The man who sold him the house and land had said that there would be wooden posts and fences to indicate where Hank’s land ended so the man kept an eye out for those. Hank was surprised when he had been going for almost a quarter of an hour and had not seen a single post. Slowly, it dawned on him just how big the property he had bought was and he felt guilty for a moment. He was alone and had no ambitions to make use of all this land so most of it would lay barren. Hank wondered if maybe this whole farm would have been better suited for someone with a family or at least the desire to actually till the vast amounts of land. Maybe, a room in the next town would have sufficed for him. But the thought of living somewhere, where he had to deal with people and their questions every day made Hank shudder. He definitely preferred staying out here on his farm. But maybe he could sell some of the lands so someone else could use it.

Deep in thought, Hank did not see the glitter of the lake in the distance. The late morning sun hit the water nicely and made it shimmer a beautiful blue. With his owner distracted like this, Sumo was the first to see the body of water and immediately bounded towards it. 

“Sumo, come back, dammit!”, Hank exclaimed and hurried his horse to follow the big dog that had been behaving like a puppy ever since they had moved out from their old home. 

But Hank was too slow. By the time he made it to the shore of the lake, Sumo had already jumped into the water and was happily paddling along. Hank sighed and prepared himself for a long time spent at the shore of the lake trying to convince the dog to come back out – he wasn’t going to get in there himself, with Sumo’s size there was no use trying to drag him out against his will either way – as he climbed off his horse and looked for a place, he could tie it up so this animal wouldn’t run off too. It took less than a minute for him to find the stump of a fallen tree that had some roots sticking out of the ground that he could tie the horse’s reins to. But by then, Sumo’s demeanor had changed completely. 

First, Hank heard him yelp and whine, then the sound of his massive paws hitting the water’s surface became faster and faster, and then, presumably when he had reached dry land again, the dog began to bark at something in the water. 

“Easy boy, it’s just some fish”, Hank called out over his shoulder before turning around. 

His heart stopped when he finally turned to see what had spooked his dog so much and his gaze landed on… _ something _ . The being that had emerged out of the waters looked like a human for the most part but something about it was off at the same time. Its skin had a type of shimmer to it that Hank had never seen on any human’s skin before. There was also something at the side of the creature’s neck that looked suspiciously like gills. Admittedly, Hank was not the greatest fisherman around, but he could tell what gills were from the few times he had been out fishing with Cole. But where seeing them on a fish was normal, Hank had never seen them on a person, and it made him stumble several steps back.

“What on earth-“, he exclaimed, back pressed to his horse’s side as if the animal could somehow shield him. Frantically, Hank thought about what he brought on his ride and if any of it could be used to defend himself should the creature in the lake turn out to be malicious. He remembered putting a hunting knife into one of the saddlebags, but he doubted he would be fast enough to find it, should he be attacked. But before Hank could even think of digging through the first of the bags to look for the knife, the creature turned towards him with a sour expression.

“Get your damn dog away from me”, it demanded, scowling at Hank, then turning back to Sumo to give him a similar look.

“Sumo, get away from that thing”, Hank called out, then leaped forward to grab Sumo by the back of the neck when it became obvious that the dog was not going to back off on his own. With Sumo kept firmly by his side, Hank retreated a few steps only to see the creature glare at him even more.

“I’m not a thing”, it hissed, “Now stop looking at me like I’m going to eat you. I’m not gonna hurt you or your stupid dog.” 

Hank wasn’t sure what to do or say so he simply stared at the creature before gasping out: “What are you?” 

“You haven’t figured that out yet?”, the being asked and for the first time Hank saw a smile graze its face. It was not a happy one, more one of triumph and arrogance. Before Hank could react in any way, however, the creature moved around in the water and a moment later, a long tail ending in a massive tailfin emerged from the lake. The scales glistened in the sun and for a second Hank was overcome with the desire to touch that tail and find out if the scales would be cool and soft like those of a snake or rough and edgy like those of the small lizards Hank had seen on his way out here. He had never seen any fish with scales this colorful either. They seemed to reflect thousands of shades of orange and soon, Hank was entranced by the sight. 

Surprise and shock rendered him unable of movement, so he continued to stare at the creature in the water, and soon there was only one word in his mind: merfolk. Of course, he had heard stories about these beings as a child. His mother had been an avid storyteller and many of the bedtime stories she told him had been about things like witches, unicorns, and merfolk. Hank had loved those stories as a child and was devastated when his father told him one day that none of the fantastic creatures from his mother’s stories existed in the real world. That encounter had put such a damper on Hank’s excitement that he never wanted to hear stories about such creatures again.

It hadn’t been until much later that he had heard people speaking about merfolk again. Before he had even started his own family, Hank had lived in a small town by the ocean in the east and worked at the small harbor that town had had. Like everyone else, he would be excited when the fishermen came back from the sea and told their stories or when the traders came back from other parts of the country after being gone for months. They always had thrilling stories to tell and adults just as much as children loved to listen to them. Regularly, one of the men would claim to have seen a mermaid or a merman out on the ocean and while some believed those tales, Hank had never been one of them. After his father had ruined his mother’s stories for him back in his childhood, he had never believed in anything supernatural. But now, with proof to the contrary staring him in the face, Hank did not know what to think. 

“But..merpeople aren’t real”, he stammered nevertheless, earning himself a sneer from the merman in the lake. A moment later Hank was hit in the face with some water the merman had splashed at him. 

“Strange how something that isn’t real just did that”, he commented with another one of those triumphant little smiles. Hank only saw it for a minute, though. By the time he had dragged the arm of his shirt across his face to get rid of the water there, the creature’s expression had changed again. This time, the merman looked more guardedly curious than anything.

“I don’t meet a lot of humans”, the merman said thoughtfully, “It’s been years since I saw one…what’s your name?” 

“Hank…”, Hank pressed out, his head still swimming from what was unfolding in front of him. The man was pretty sure that the only reason he was still on his feet at all was that he had to hold on to Sumo. He was pretty sure that otherwise the dog would just bolt off to somewhere and it would take hours to find him. 

“Well, Hank, I’m Gavin”, the merman said, fixing Hank with his gaze, “I know you didn’t ask but humans are rude anyway, so I figured I’d just have to introduce myself since we’re going to be neighbors so to speak.” Hank could only nod numbly as Gavin went on with his little speech.

“I’m sure both of us just want some peace and quiet so how about you just leave me alone in my lake”, the merman continued, raising a brow, “I’m obviously not going to bother you at your home so it’s only fair of me to ask you not to bother me in mine either. Deal?”

“Deal”, Hank muttered, still confused and overwhelmed by the entire situation. Before he could say any more or ask questions, Gavin simply nodded, pushed himself away from the shore, and dove back into the water. Next to Hank, Sumo barked like crazy for several more seconds before the bravado turned to fear again and he tried to hide behind Hank’s legs as he’d done as a puppy. The human kept staring at the water of the lake for a while longer. It had gone almost completely still again after Gavin’s presence had brought some small waves with it. But now, the lake looked still and calm and there was no merman in sight. Hank wondered briefly how deep that lake was and how far away Gavin was now. From where he stood, Hank could rather easily make out the shore on the other side but at the same time, he figured that, with him not being a very good swimmer, he would not be able to reach it without exhausting himself completely. 

Finally, after long minutes spent staring at the lake’s surface, Hank gathered his wits about him enough to drag Sumo along as he returned to his horse. He undid the knot that had kept it tied up and used the stump to get back in the saddle more easily. Thankfully, it seemed that Sumo did not want to investigate the lake any further either and quickly followed his owner when Hank began his way back to his house on horseback. Halfway there, Hank remembered why he had initially been out today and wondered if he should keep looking for the posts. But his mind was far too scattered after his encounter with the merman and instead, Hank guided the horse towards his shed. As his thoughts inevitably returned to the lake, the man was quite certain he remembered seeing a post just on the other side of the lake. Confused as he was, Hank decided that this had been enough exploration of his land for one day and returned to his home.

Hank remained in this confused stupor for the remainder of the day. The next morning, he had half-convinced himself that he must have been dreaming. Suspecting a fever, he stayed in bed all day for two days, only getting up to eat or feed his pets. On the fourth day, Hank got on his horse, leaving Sumo behind this time, and rode back to the lake. There he saw the calm surface of the water, some plants growing by the shore that he had not noticed the last time, and the post on the other side of the body of water. Hank stayed by the shore for several long minutes, wondering if Gavin would return and potentially be angry with him for breaking their deal. But nothing happened. For a moment, Hank was tempted to call out to the merman but then he figured he would only feel silly calling out to something he had most likely made up either way. After he had stared out onto the water for god knows how long, Hank decided that he must have imagined Gavin. Maybe he had had too little sleep the days before or had eaten something that had gone off.

Either way, Hank shook his head as he turned his horse around and rode back home. There was no way that Gavin was more than a figment of his imagination and in that case, Hank could just forget about it. He had land to take care of, anyway.

And so that was what Hank busied himself with in the upcoming days and weeks. After he had initially thought he would not use his land to grow anything on it at all, he had quickly come to the realization that he would have to do just that if he wanted something to eat and a way to stock up his funds. The only other option was to find work in town and that was out of the question. 

So, he went into town the day after his latest excursion to the lake to buy seeds, farming supplies, and food. The clerk at the general store, a young blond woman by the name of Kara tried to make some pleasant conversation while she picked out the things Hank had asked for, but he was in no mood to talk about what brought him here or what his plans for the farmland were. After he was done at the store, he considered having lunch at the nearby saloon but eventually decided against it. There would only be more of the same questions there and Hank felt even less like talking to anyone than he had before he came into town that morning. Besides, his purchases that day had already cost much more than he had anticipated, and he would have to keep his cash together if he did not want to starve before fall came and he could sell what he grew on his farm. 

The next several days were filled with hard work. Hank was up from dusk till dawn finding good soil around his farm to grow his crops in and prepare the ground for the seeds he had bought. He quickly realized why farming was usually a family business with several people working to bring it to fruition. The only real help Hank had was Sumo, who was very eager to dig up the ground whenever and wherever Hank would allow it. At some point, Hank even wondered why he had bought a hoe at all when he had a dog this willing to help. But it turned out that, despite seeming much younger than he was these days, Sumo still tired out rather quickly and would then spend the rest of the day near the steps leading up to the small porch in front of Hank’s house. The weather did not help much either as it was quickly proving to be an especially hot spring. At the end of the month, when most of the farm work was done, Hank did not even want to think about what the summer would be like if this was what the temperatures were like early in the year.

“And here I was thinking it would be nice and cool in the northwest”, Hank muttered to himself on the day he had sown his last crops. It was barely noon and his clothes were already completely drenched in sweat from the work he had done throughout the morning. For a moment, Hank considered simply retreating inside and spending the rest of the day indoors where it was not quite as hot as outside. But then he remembered the lake up north from his house and decided on a whim that going for a swim to cool down was a much better idea than being in his home all day. As he saddled the horse and put the bags on its back, he briefly remembered his encounter with the merman earlier in the season and the deal they had struck. But at the same moment, Hank also remembered his visit to the lake a few days later and how he had come to the conclusion that he had simply imagined Gavin. The man decided that he would be damned if he got held back from going to a lake that was on his property because of something he had made up in his own head. 

So, around half an hour later, Hank had filled the saddlebags with things he might need out by the lake – mostly food but also a towel to dry off and a water dish for Sumo – and was on his way. It was then that Hank realized he had never taken the time to truly look around and admire the land he now owned. It was beautiful, if untended to, and once again Hank felt guilty for letting most of it go to waste. Wondering how many sellable crops his first harvest would bring, Hank once again considered selling part of his land to someone who had more of a use for it. He figured he would not mind a neighbor terribly, even if he was still not in the mood for pleasant conversation or probing questions. But maybe, Hank figured, he could find someone just as quiet as him. 

Hank was still deep in thought by the time he reached the lake. This time, he tied the horse up at a nearby bush that had a patch of grass growing around it for the animal to feed itself. Hank did not quite trust the horse enough yet to just let it graze without being tied up anywhere. And since he had neglected to name it, he could not even call out for it should the animal run away. But the horse seemed content where it was so Hank did not feel too bad as he left it there and began taking off his clothes. For a moment he considered bathing completely naked but, despite no one ever having come out here or anywhere near his home, he still feared that someone would show up just when he was naked. And Hank had no desire to introduce himself to some poor person from the next town over in the nude. So, he kept his underpants on and followed Sumo to the water. The dog had apparently forgotten his last encounter by the lake and had already jumped into the water. Hank watched him paddle along with a smile for a moment before he too climbed into the lake. 

The water was pleasantly cool against his heated skin and Hank let his eyes slip shut with a content sigh. He tipped his head back to let his face be warmed by the sun and allowed himself to relax for what felt like the first time in weeks or even months. But his relaxation was short-lived. Merely a minute after closing his eyes, Hank heard loud splashing, followed by Sumo yelping and barking. For a moment, Hank thought the dog had simply gotten his paw caught on some seaweed and was spooked by that. But when he opened his eyes and looked over to where the splashing had come from, Hank saw not only his dog but a familiar face glaring at him.

“I thought we had a deal!”, Gavin called out before spinning around to look at Hank, “You agreed to leave me alone and now it’s been what, a month? And you’re back already!”

“I thought…I was sure I only imagined you”, Hank gasped, backing off until his back hit the earthy edge of the lake. He dug one hand into the ground behind him to feel somewhat grounded as the sight of Gavin seemed to be dragging the floor out from underneath his feet. 

“Do we really have to go over this again?!”, Gavin groaned. Next to him, Sumo was still barking and splashing water and it was obvious that the merman was growing tired of it. For a second Hank was worried that Gavin would drag Sumo underwater and drown the dog. But instead, the merman left Sumo where he was and swam closer to Hank. Before the human could even attempt to climb out of the lake and out of the merman’s grasp, Gavin had a hand in his face and pinched Hank’s nose.

“Are you convinced yet?”, he asked when he let go again a moment later, “Or do you want me to pinch something else too?” 

“I believe you”, Hank said, rubbing at his face, “No need to hurt me just because you got upset.”

“You broke our deal”, Gavin complained, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry”, Hank muttered, wondering how best to deal with this situation, “But isn’t there a way for us to resolve this? It gets hot these days and probably even more in summer and I could use a place to cool off.” Gavin simply pouted at Hank as if he knew full well what would come next. 

“Isn’t there anything you want that I could give you in exchange for you sharing the lake with me?” 

“All I want is to be left alone”, the merman complained the second Hank had closed his mouth, “That’s all I asked, and you won’t even do that…”

“I just came here because it’s hot and I needed to cool off”, Hank argued with a sigh, “I won’t do it every day, alright?” Gavin shot him a glare that made it clear he didn’t trust his words one bit, 

“Come on, I’m sure we can work something out that we can both agree on”, the human tried one more time, not sure what he could even give the merman in front of him. Gavin kept scowling but seemed to actually think about the question for the first time. Hank didn’t dare feel relief yet, but he felt like it was something at least. Then, Gavin’s eyes fell onto something behind Hank. 

“Do you have food in those bags?”, Gavin asked and pointed at that thing. When the human turned around, he saw that the merman meant the saddlebags on his horse. 

“I do”, he said, “I don’t know if it’s anything you like, though…” 

“I like most human food”, Gavin said, the sour expression slowly melting from his face. Silence fell between the two for a moment as the merman looked into Hank’s eyes so deeply, the human thought he could see right into the core of him and suddenly felt very exposed.

“Fine. I’ll let you use my lake if you bring me food when you come here.” Gavin held a hand out to Hank and the human took it without thinking twice about it. The merman’s hand was cold and wet, and the skin felt somewhat scaly, almost like the skin of a snake – but strangely enough, it didn’t feel unpleasant to Hank. The only thing that worried him a little once Gavin let go of his hand again was the memory of some of the stories he’d heard about merfolk as a child. Hank really hoped that he hadn’t just agreed to some sort of magical pact that would unleash the fury of some mer-god onto him if he forgot to bring food whenever he came to the lake.

“So…are you hungry now?”, he asked to distract himself from his racing heart. Gavin nodded eagerly.

Approximately five minutes later, Hank sat on a blanket by the edge of the lake in nothing but the underwear he’d worn for swimming and watched Gavin devour a third of the dried meat Hank had brought as a snack. Next to him sat Sumo, who was chomping down another third of the meat. The dog seemed to have lost most of his fear of the merman, apparently deciding that whoever liked meat as much as he did couldn’t be too much of a bad person. In the middle of all of this sat Hank with the last third of the meat and not hungry in the slightest. Instead, he watched Gavin’s razor-sharp teeth tear the meat apart as the merman hummed delightedly. 

“This is definitely worth sharing my lake with you”, Gavin decided after he had consumed the last piece of meat and licked his fingers clean. The merman seemed far more agreeable now that he wasn’t hungry which was a feeling Hank knew all too well. 

“I assume you don’t get human food a lot where you live…?”, Hank asked awkwardly, feeling like he should say something but still overwhelmed by the fact that he was talking to an actual merman.

“I’ve only had fish and algae for years”, Gavin sighed, “The last people who lived here left years ago. And the adults didn’t even believe I existed so it was only their kids, who would sometimes sneak some food back here to me.” Hank nodded, a sad smile tugging at the corners of his mouth at the thought that Cole would have probably done the same thing.

“So…are you the only one in this lake?”, Hank asked after a moment to distract himself from his own dark thoughts. Unfortunately, Gavin’s face fell at that question and for a moment the human didn’t know if he looked more angry or sad.

“I am”, Gavin said, his voice strained, “I lived out in the ocean with my family when I was young but one day, I found a cave that led to a tunnel and that tunnel led right here. I liked it so I stayed a while. But when I wanted to go back to my family the tunnel had collapsed, and I couldn’t go back.” 

“I’m sorry”, Hank muttered, unsure what else to say.

Luckily, Sumo came to his aid, deciding to alleviate some tension his way. The big dog, insatiable as ever, stretched towards the meat Hank still held in his hand, trying to get a bite of it. The human, in turn, tried to keep it out of his reach.

“You’ve had enough, Sumo”, Hank said firmly but Sumo didn’t want to listen. When the dog tried to climb into Hank’s lap to get to what he wanted, the human gave in.

“Fine, but only one more slice…”

“Can I give it to him?”, Gavin asked from his spot on the shore, watching Hank trying to wrestle Sumo off of him with an amused smirk on his face. Hank only nodded and tossed him a strip of meat as he got to his feet and stuffed the rest back into the saddlebags. Sumo looked awfully confused for a few moments, but then followed the scent of meat closer to the edge of the lake. When he saw Gavin, he took a few steps back, looking helplessly between Hank and the food in the merman’s hand. Finally, appetite won over fear and Sumo got close enough to the merman to get what he wanted. Gavin looked equally content with the progression of things but when he outstretched his hand to pet Sumo’s head, the dog quickly took a few steps back again. 

“I’m sure he’ll come around eventually”, Hank assured the merman, but Gavin only shrugged in response. 

Soon after, Hank packed his belongings and got dressed again to ride home. Gavin wished him a good day and before the human had even made it onto his horse’s back, the merman had vanished into the depths of the lake once again. On his way back, Hank thought about what a strange encounter this had been and how he now had an agreement with the merman. It still felt unreal and Hank was fully prepared to wake up any second. But at the same time, he was already excited about returning to the lake. 

But Hank returned to the lake not a week later after another hard day of farm work and met Gavin there just like he had done before. The merman seemed far calmer about a human by and in his lake than the last time and Hank couldn’t tell if he was finally giving up on some defensive stance he’d kept up or if he was just after the food Hank provided regularly. Whichever it was, Hank began to come to the lake more regularly after that day. Spring was slowly moving on into summer and that one proved to be as unusually hot as the previous season had already been. So, a trip to the lake to cool off was on Hank’s schedule most days and Gavin welcomed him there as long as he brought food. After a while, Hank even began setting up a small campfire by the edge of the lake so he could fry bacon and eggs that he, Sumo, and Gavin could eat together. 

Hank began to enjoy these meetings more and more. At first, he figured he’d simply missed having meals with someone but that wasn’t exactly true. Hank usually fed Sumo whenever he ate, placing the bowl near the table so he wouldn’t feel quite so alone. But that was different. Even if Hank sometimes talked to the dog as they both ate, Sumo would never answer beyond some slurping or a contented huff. With Gavin, things were different and soon Hank realized that what he had truly missed weren’t meals consumed together but the conversations that went with it. For the past several months Hank had avoided talking to anyone out of fear that they would bring up his family. It had seemed right at the time but moving to a small farm in the middle of nowhere, only going into town when absolutely necessary and not even talking to anyone there unless he had to, meant that Hank hadn’t had any lengthy conversations in a long time. And while he had always thought that was fine, he began to realize that having someone to talk to – even if it was a merman with a bit of a temper – was extremely nice.

Most days when he rode home, Hank couldn’t even remember what he and Gavin were talking about. He just knew that they had been talking for hours on end and he hadn’t felt uncomfortable once. Maybe it was because both of them had lost their family in one way or the other but neither of them brought up that topic when it could be helped. One time Hank had asked if Gavin thought that his family was looking for him and the merman had hissed at him so angrily the man had been sure he was about to be dragged to the bottom of the lake and drowned. After that encounter, Hank didn’t ask about Gavin’s past anymore and neither did the merman ask about his. It was a mutual agreement that both were more than happy with. It still left enough topics of conversation. For example, Gavin was very interested in Hank’s life out on his farm. 

“I think I might go into town and buy a few chickens. I’ve heard there’s a big market next month”, Hank said one day, and Gavin’s eyes lit up, “We’ve been eating so many eggs lately, I think it’d be cheaper to just buy the chickens instead of keeping on buying eggs…” Purchasing more animals in his first year out here was not something Hank had planned initially. But he did have that stable and he figured that the chickens could just as well live there as they could in a coop of some kind. And at the same time, his funds had already been drained rapidly by the farming equipment he bought just a few months earlier. Hank figured that he would have to cut costs as much as he could if he didn’t want to have to go find a job in town to survive. 

Gavin, as it turned out, loved animals of all kinds and enjoyed Hank talking about his horse or Sumo at length. In turn, the merman had told Hank stories about a cat the previous owners of the farm had had and that sometimes came out to the lake. Gavin would have loved to pet it but unfortunately, the animal had been scared of water and even more scared of him. Luckily for Gavin, Sumo had lost all fear of him after the third or fourth visit to the lake. Granted, some bribery and bacon had been involved but now Sumo lumbered over to the edge of the lake regularly to let Gavin pet him or beg him for more food. 

“Chickens sound like fun”, Gavin said after a moment of excited silence, “And I’m always for more eggs so I’m glad you decided to get chickens.” 

“The eggs aren’t all for you”, Hank commented with a snort, “I need to eat too, you know.” Gavin rolled his eyes and waved him off. 

“I’m sure you won’t starve if you give me one or two extra eggs every once in a while”, the merman decided, “Might increase the toll for letting you use the lake…”

“And what will you do if I just don’t come back then?”, Hank asked and was surprised by how desperate even the suggestion of not returning to the lake made him. He knew he liked talking to Gavin, but he always thought he could just as well do without it if things changed. But now, just the thought of going back to only having Sumo to talk to felt like more of a loss than Hank was willing to take. Shaking his head, Hank tried to get rid of this feeling and deal with it later. And thankfully, Gavin didn’t seem to have caught on either way. 

“I guess you’ll just sweat yourself to death in the summer”, the merman said lightheartedly and with a mischievous glint in his eye, “You were the one, who insisted on coming here all the time. Not me…”

Still confused by the intense emotions he felt at the thought of not getting to talk to Gavin any longer, Hank didn’t know what to say at first, so he only gave a non-committal shrug. 

“Fine”, Hank finally said, seeing there was no reason to argue over eggs of all things, “I’ll bring more eggs for you. But you’ll have to share with Sumo whenever I bring him.” 

“Deal”, Gavin announced and held a hand out to Hank. The human took it and as they shook hands, his skin tingled with a sensation that was foreign yet familiar at the same time.

It took Hank several weeks to finally realize what it was that he was feeling. And even then, he didn’t want to believe it for even longer. But soon enough, it became indisputable: He was in love with Gavin. 

Several long nights, the human lay awake, wondering how this had happened. After his wife’s death, Hank had been sure he would never fall in love with anyone again, that he was truly incapable of doing so even if he wanted to. And yet here he was, yearning for a merman and getting excited like a young boy the night before Christmas whenever he thought of visiting him. Confused already by all those thoughts, Hank didn’t even think to marvel at the fact that Gavin was very obviously male. First of all, because Hank had found himself attracted to men before now, and second, because he figured when one was in love with a creature from myths that shouldn’t even exist in this world, gender should be the least of one’s concerns. 

And yet, the next time Hank rode out to the lake, his head was full to the brim with thoughts and worries. Thankfully, Gavin did not seem to notice that. The merman was content to drift on his back, swimming circles around Hank and telling the human a tale he remembered about a great merman prince and the princess he had to save from a villainous sea snake. Hank listened only partly, his eyes glued to Gavin’s body as it cut through the lake, droplets of water glistening on his tan skin.

“Are you even listening to me?”, Gavin asked after a while, letting his lower body sink back underneath the surface and throwing Hank a stern look. 

“I…”, the human began but having a sudden feeling that the merman could see right through him, he eventually shook his head, “I was distracted.”

“Oh, I noticed that”, Gavin commented with a smirk as he swam closer, “I could feel you staring holes into my chest.” At that, Hank blushed to the tips of his ears, much to Gavin’s amusement.

But then, suddenly, the merman’s expression changed from amused, to curious. Hank had no idea what that could possibly mean. All he registered was Gavin coming closer and closer until he stood with his back to the edge of the lake, water lapping at his chest and the merman right in front of him. Hank wanted to say something but didn’t know what. So, he opened and closed his mouth aimlessly a few times as he stared at Gavin. Then, before he could get his thoughts in order to get something reasonable out of his mouth, the merman surged forward and pressed his lips to Hank’s. It was surprising, soft, and over as quickly as it had begun. Before Hank could even understand the situation, let alone return the kiss, Gavin pulled back and brought some distance between them. If Hank wasn’t mistaken, there was a blush on his cheeks.

“Why did you do that?”, he asked for lack of anything better to say. 

“I thought it was something you might want”, Gavin answered with a shrug, then quickly changed the topic.

Neither of them mentioned the kiss again, not on this day and not during any of their following meetings. But soon enough, it would happen again. Whenever Gavin felt like teasing Hank, he would swim up to him and press a quick peck to his lips to confuse the human. It won him arguments and quarrels over the last bit of bacon in the pan and, soon enough, Hank began to retaliate. He realized that he loved kissing the merman and that he could use surprises to his own ends just as much as Gavin could. At first, it took the merman by surprise, then he would use it as an opportunity to deepen their kisses. More often than not, they forgot what the goal of the kiss was after a few seconds, and soon after that, they began kissing each other without ulterior motives.

Weeks passed like this and it worked out for them. Neither Hank nor Gavin ever spoke about their kisses or the feelings behind them and it was fine. They would grow closer over summer and it was perfect the way it was. It was obvious that both men felt the same way, either way, so what need was there to try and put into words what neither quite knew how to express? Time passed pleasantly between them and where Hank had thought he would never be happy again at the beginning of this year, he soon felt more content than he had ever done.

Summer was rapidly turning to fall when a stranger first appeared on Hank’s farm. The man was short, with a slim face and a piercing gaze. Hank watched from the door as the man climbed off his horse and looked around the rather small patches of land that Hank was currently tilling. Sure, it wasn’t much but Hank was proud of his success at farming during his first year out here. The stranger didn’t seem to think so – or at least the expression on his face didn’t make it look like he thought so. Next to Hank, Sumo let out a low growl as he looked at the man and Hank knew for sure now that the stranger wasn’t going to be pleasant to be around. Sumo liked almost anyone, even if he might be afraid of them at first and if he growled at a stranger like this, they couldn’t be a good person.

“Good day, Sir”, the man said as he walked up the few steps onto the porch and held his hand out to Hank, “My name is Richard Perkins and I’m here on behalf of my employer, the Northwest Railway company.” 

“Hank Anderson”, Hank replied, shaking Perkins’ hand unwillingly, “What brings you here?” 

“Should we not take this inside?”, Perkins asked, brushing some dust off his pant legs. Hank sighed but gestured for the man to follow him inside. No doubt, it was just as dusty in there, but if Perkins insisted, he wouldn’t deny him. Sumo growled as he followed Hank into the house and kept on growling when Perkins entered – until Hank told him to be quiet and the dog retreated to the old burlap sack full of hay that was his bed.

“How can I help you?”, Hank asked after he had offered Perkins a glass of water and placed it on the table between them. The other man took his time, taking a long sip from the glass, before putting it down and looking Hank in the face.

“I’m here to acquire some of your lands”, Perkins said calmly, and Hank raised a brow, “In town, word is that you have far too much land to tend to all by yourself and from what I’ve seen around here, I’m inclined to agree.” 

Hank nodded slowly. It was true, after all. The only spots he could take care of by himself were the small patches of land filled with vegetables and the bigger plots of land to the east, where he tried to grow corn and wheat. To properly tend to all the land, Hank would surely need at least five more men. But there was no way he was going to employ anyone. He neither had the money nor did he want the company. Hank wanted to be alone out here, even if it was far too much land for one person. He would continue to plant as much as he needed and maybe a little more to sell in town and that was the end of the story. From that point of view, selling some of his lands didn’t sound too bad. He would feel less guilty about hogging it and it would help his finances, too.

“You’re not wrong”, he said, vaguely, nevertheless. He knew the type of man Perkins was and if one agreed to their plans too quickly it would lead to nothing but trouble. 

“Trust me, Mr. Anderson”, Perkins answered with a false smile on his face, “You will not regret selling your land, I will make sure of it. My employer pays rather handsomely and between my commission fee and my personal income, I’m sure I can make you an offer that will leave you wholly satisfied.” 

“How much are you offering?”, Hank wanted to know. The uncomfortable smile still on his face, Perkins reached inside the briefcase he had brought along and pulled a piece of paper from it. He placed it on the table face-down, then slid it over to Hank. The taller man raised a brow but took the slip and looked at it. Then, he swallowed. The number on it was more than he had ever owned. He would not have to worry about money for at least five years. It was an incredible offer and only a fool would have declined it. And yet, something about the look on Perkins’ face showed Hank that he should keep his guard up. 

“What is it you want with my land?”, he wanted to know and the smile on the other man’s face faltered for a moment. 

“I am acquiring land for the Northwest Railway company”, he said as if that made it any more obvious. When Hank only raised a brow, he went on: “The railroad will be the most important mode of transportation on this continent for at least a hundred years, so it is vital to expand. My employer has found that very little expansion has happened in these parts of the country and wishes to remedy that.” 

“So, you want to build railroad tracks in my backyard”, Hank concluded and the smile that had, by now, returned to Perkins’ face became just a little more strained.

“I assure you it won’t bother you at all”, the man said placatingly, “It will be far up in the north of your land, several minutes away from your house on horseback at least. You will hardly hear it.” 

Hank’s brows rose at that. He had not even asked yet, what part of his land Perkins and his employer wanted to buy. He was not bothered about selling, so it had seemed not to matter. But now, it began to look like they were looking to buy the part of his land up north that included the lake where Gavin lived. And obviously, that part was off-limits. No matter how much Perkins would offer, Hank would refuse to sell it.

As if he had read Hank’s thoughts, Perkins retrieved a second, larger paper from his briefcase. As he unfolded it, it became clear that it was a map of the town and the nearby plots of land – including Hank’s own. 

“We are looking to buy this area”, Perkins explained, pointing at a spot on the map, “All the way down to here.” His finger wandered from a spot above the lake down to one in the south of it.

“I am sure you have no use for this lake anyway. There is no reason for you to hold onto it.”

“This part of my property is not for sale”, Hank said the moment Perkins mentioned the lake. The other man’s expression quickly turned sour.

“Might I ask why that is?”, Perkins wondered, “It is a good fifteen minutes from your house, and you can’t use it for any farming.”

“I like to fish”, Hank lied, “It’s the closest place I can do that and it’s on my property, so no one will disturb me there.”

“I’m sure the money the company is willing to pay will convince you that the comforts of a private lake aren’t all that counts”, Perkins insisted but Hank shook his head.

“You can have any other plot of land but not that part and that is final.”

After that, Perkins stayed for several more minutes to try and convince Hank to sell him the land, but Hank refused.

“I’m sure I will find a way to make you sell”, Perkins said as he left, and it sounded so much like a threat that it made the hair at the back of Hank’s neck stand.

After Perkins had left, Hank rode up to the lake to tell Gavin about the encounter.

“You better not sell my lake”, the merman groused angrily, “If you ever do that, I’ll find a way to get to your house and drown you in your sleep.” Hank only laughed at that, knowing the merman’s temper by now. 

“You’re always welcome in my home”, he said instead, catching Gavin by surprise, “You invite me into yours so it’s only fair if you come to visit me one day.” 

“I would if I could”, Gavin sighed, then said nothing for a moment.

“You wouldn’t sell this land for any money in the world, would you?”, he asked after several beats of silence and as much as he tried to hide it, Hank heard the worry in his voice as clear as day. 

“Never”, he assured the merman, “This is your home, and I would miss you far too much to ever sell your home like that.”

At that, Gavin pressed a kiss to Hank’s cheek, and once again, all seemed well in the world.

Just a few days later, Hank had all but forgotten about Perkins’ visit. The man had sent a letter with another offer to Hank’s farm the day after his first visit, but Hank had torn it up and thrown it into the fireplace. Soon, nearly a week had passed, and Hank didn’t think about Perkins and his useless offers anymore. He had banned the man from his thoughts so completely, he failed to realize what the other man was capable of. 

At the end of the week, Hank mounted his horse and made his way up to the lake as he so often did. He was excited when he saw Gavin already waiting for him at the edge of the lake, but all his joy evaporated when he saw the furious expression on the merman’s face. He had barely climbed off his horse when he found himself being yelled at. 

“You lied to me!”, Gavin screamed, his eyes full of hurt and betrayal, “You said you would never sell your land and you lied to me!”

“What do you mean?”, Hank wanted to know, utterly confused, “I didn’t sell my land!”

“Liar!”, Gavin retorted, his voice almost a shriek now. The water in the lake around him was at unrest, taller and taller waves crashing against the shore. Not for the first time, Hank wondered what the merman was truly capable of. 

“There were men here earlier. They put sticks into the ground to measure the land and they talked about the railroad that will go through here soon.

“That can’t be”, Hank said, utterly confused, “I told Perkins time and again that I wasn’t going to sell. He can’t just send these men onto my land to do his bidding.”

“Stop trying to trick me into believing you”, Gavin snarled, “I know what you did, and I won’t ever trust you again.” 

“Gavin, I promise you…”, Hank began but the merman didn’t let him get far. 

“I thought I truly meant something to you”, he shouted, and now a tone of sadness mixed with the outrage in his voice, “I was stupid enough to let you get close and now I’m paying the price, right? You kept your lies up, then sold me off with this land of yours like I never meant anything to you. I should have never trusted you…”

“You can trust me!”, Hank exclaimed, running a hand through his hair in despair, “I swear to you that I did not sell my land and that I never would. You’re the only person, who understands me and who I’ve enjoyed spending any time with these past months. Why would I sell the lake when you mean so much to me?”

“My mother always said that money  was more important to humans than anything else”, Gavin said angrily, “Turns out she was right. I was only important to you until someone came and made you a better offer.” 

Hank wanted to scream. None of what Gavin said was true and neither was whatever these men had said, and he had listened in on. Perkins must have tricked Hank some way or another without him even knowing and now Gavin believed that Hank betrayed him when that was the farthest thing from the truth. Hank would have hoped that, after everything, Gavin would trust him enough not to take some random men’s words over Hank’s. But apparently, he had been wrong. And from the stories Gavin had told him about the many cruel things humans had done to merfolk, he wasn’t even sure he could blame him. And yet, it hurt to see the betrayal in Gavin’s eyes and feeling like he was about to lose someone, who had become so important to him over the past months. 

“Gavin, I swear I did not sell my land”, Hank tried again, hoping to find some way to get through to the merman, “I know you think I’m lying to you but I’m not. I would never lie to you. You mean too much to me not to tell you the truth at all times.” 

“I don’t want to hear it!”, Gavin shouted as a single tear ran down his face, “What’s been done is done and none of your lies will make up for it anymore, now. I trusted you and you decided to get rid of me the first chance you got. And now you try to make me think this isn’t what happened – and for what?”

“Because you mean the world to me!”, Hank cried out, taking both Gavin and himself by surprise, “You’re the only one I could talk to at all these past months. You awakened feelings in me that I never thought I would be able to feel again. And when we kissed, I finally felt like I was alive again. Do you really want to throw all this away because some men by the edge of your lake said I sold your land?” 

Gavin hesitated for a few moments before he answered. In the meantime, the merman deflated visibly and the water around him calmed down as well. But it was obvious that this came more from a feeling of defeat than Gavin reconsidering things and possibly believing in what Hank had said. Hank could see him gnaw at his lower lip for a moment as he stared down at the water instead of the human. When Gavin finally looked him in the eyes again, there was such heartbreak in his eyes that it tore Hank’s own heart apart right with it.

“It doesn’t matter. If you felt all this and still sold your land then it didn’t mean a thing”, Gavin said slowly, his voice lowered considerably and filled with a bone-deep sadness, “And if it meant nothing to you, then it meant nothing to me either.”

Before Hank could stop him, the merman sank below the surface and vanished from his sight. The human stared at the spot where the merman had vanished, calling out Gavin’s name until his throat hurt but to no avail. By the time he finally gave up, Hank was thoroughly exhausted, and his cheeks were stained with tear tracks. Defeated, he returned to his horse, climbed into the saddle, and slowly made his way home. His whole world seemed to be in shambles once again and there was nothing he could do. Hank felt he should have known that this would happen when he allowed someone this close to him again. He knew he wouldn’t be able to bear losing another person he loved and yet here he was. If there was no way for him to convince Gavin that he hadn’t sold the land and the lake, they could never be together again. Even if the construction work left the lake untouched, Gavin would surely rather die than see his home so close to civilization and constantly invaded by strangers. 

By the time he had almost made it back to the farm, Hank was truly desperate. He had gone through several cycles of despair that always went from ‘If I can’t be with Gavin anymore, why should I care about my land being stolen?’ to ‘But Gavin deserves to be happy and to keep his home as is’ to ‘I have to find Perkins and get my land back’ and back around, leaving Hank none the wiser as to what it actually was, he wanted to do. 

Hank was ready to just return home and sink into another depressive state where he filled himself to the brim with alcohol to numb the pain while the world around him turned and cruelly took what he loved from him. But when he arrived at his farm, two young men were already waiting for him. They looked very similar and Hank was sure he had seen them in passing in town somewhere. One of them was still on horseback while the other knelt next to his horse and ran his fingers through Sumo’s thick fur.

“What are you doing here?”, Hank barked, as soon as he was within shouting distance of the two men, “Leave me alone!”

“My name is Richard Stern and this is my brother, Connor”, the one on horseback called out, “Our mother owns the saloon in town and wants to talk to you urgently. It’s about the railroad.”

“Heaven’s sake, why is everyone getting involved in this?”, Hank complained once he was in front of the two young men, “Have Perkins’ men been in town and told everyone there I sold my property, too?”

“Mr. Perkins told our mother himself”, Connor explained and rose to his feet, “But she doesn’t believe him. Hardly anyone in town does. Just the other day he came in, complaining about your stubbornness and suddenly you’re supposed to have given in? No one believes it.”

“What’s it to the town, anyway?”, Hank muttered. The fact that not everyone chose to believe Perkins and his men blindly was a small consolation for the loss he just experienced. 

“That’s something you should talk to our mother about”, Richard said, “You should know that none of us want the railroad here and we thought you were of the same opinion.”

“I am”, Hank snapped, “But Perkins tricked me some way or the other, and now what can I do?” 

“I’m sure we can find a solution”, Connor offered with a kind smile, “But you have to come to town with us and speak to our mother.”

“Fine”, Hank sighed. There was nothing more he could lose, anyway, and a small excursion to town couldn’t hurt either way. And who knew, maybe the people there actually did have a plan to stop Perkins from bringing his plans to fruition.

The ride into town was silent. Hank didn’t feel like talking and after one or two failed attempts at starting a conversation, the Stern brothers didn’t try anymore, either. As they entered the town and rode down the main street, Hank could see many eyes on himself. Apparently, people were more curious about him, now that he was allegedly responsible for a railroad no one wanted being built near their town. Many of the townspeople looked at him with curiosity and worry, others showed outright anger at seeing Hank. Every time, Hank had to hold himself back, so he didn’t yell at them to tell them he didn’t like the idea of a railroad any more than they did and that he had been tricked. But he doubted many of them would believe him, either way. 

In front of the saloon, Hank and the brothers climbed off their horses and tied them up outside before heading indoors. Hank wasn’t exactly sure what he expected but it was not the group of people already gathered around a large table in the corner of the room. All but three seats were taken, and the tall man swallowed thickly at the sight of the whole scene. Some of the people at the table he had seen before. Like the short, blond woman who worked at the local general store. The tall, black man and the small, dark-skinned girl with the wild curls had been there too but right now, they sat at a different table. 

At the center of the main table, Hank saw a woman with an imposing air about herself, with dark skin and hair. When Connor and Richard sat down on either side of her, Hank knew that she was their mother. To Connor’s left sat two more men, one of them with dark skin and his hair cut so short, he almost appeared bald, the other pale and with short blond hair. By their side sat a woman with her reddish-blond hair in a tight bun and a dismayed expression on her face. The only available seat was by her side and as much as Hank feared that she would bite his head clean off, he sat down next to her

“What is all this about?”, he asked before anyone else could begin to speak. 

“I’m sure my sons have already told you that this is about your land and Mr. Perkins’ plans to build railroad tracks on it no matter what”, Mrs. Stern said with a grave expression on her face, “It seemed somewhat odd to all of us when you refused to sell your land and yet, Mr. Perkins came in here, celebrating, not too long after, that you finally caved and that work could now begin as soon as possible.”

“I didn’t sell that weasel anything”, Hank growled, “And anyone who says any different is a filthy liar.” The woman next to him scoffed but no one else at the table did or said anything in reaction. 

“That’s what we thought”, Mrs. Stern answered calmly, “Even more so when Mr. Perkins showed us the contract with your signature on it and our dear Kara here didn’t recognize the signature at all.” At that, Mrs. Stern gestured towards the young, blond woman Hank knew from the general store. The blonde immediately straightened her back and nodded eagerly. 

“You signed several receipts at my store this year”, she said, then blushed a little, “I looked at your signature a lot because I thought the way you draw the A in your last name was very nice. So, when Mr. Perkins showed Amanda and me the signed contract earlier, I knew immediately something was wrong.”

“So, he forged my signature?!”, Hank exclaimed and slammed a hand down on the table. The few patrons in the room that weren’t at their table turned for a moment and Mrs. Stern shushed him

“That seems to be the case”, she said, “I hope you won’t be too upset if I ask you to sign a piece of paper for me so we can compare it to the signature on the contract. Kara remembers signatures very well and made a copy of the supposed fake one…”

Hank hesitated for a moment. He barely knew these people and had no idea of knowing what their intentions were. For all he knew, they could be wanting to betray him just as much as Perkins had done.

“Before I do any of this”, he began, not sure how best to word his worries without turning the people at the table against him, “Why are you so against the railroad? I have my reasons, but I’ve never heard yours.” 

“If the railroad is built, this town will die”, the blond man said without fanfare, “I work at the post office and I hate to overstate my own importance but the mail route going through this town is vital for this community.”

“Simon is right”, the young woman, Kara, said, “Right now, at least half my customers are mail workers coming through or people from other towns looking to drop their mail off and deciding to take a stroll through town. If a railroad were built it would make our town obsolete for many mail routes and it would cost all of our businesses a large part of their income.”

“Precisely”, Mrs. Stern agreed with a weary sigh, “All we want is to keep our home, Mr. Anderson.” 

And that was a thing Hank understood. It was what made Gavin so angry, too. The thought of losing his home, and at the hands of someone he trusted at that, must have been horrifying to the merman. Hank still couldn’t understand why Gavin would rather believe other peoples’ lies than his words. So, he could only assume that the merman had his reasons and felt a slight twinge of guilt realizing that he had not made an effort to learn about them. 

“Fine”, Hank said after another moment of silence, “Give me that paper.” 

Mrs. Stern slid the folded piece of paper and a pen over to Hank. The man in question had never felt this under pressure when signing anything, not even the contract to buy the house and the surrounding farmland out of town. All eyes at the table were on Hank as he scribbled his signature onto the paper, then handed it to whoever’s hand was closest. A moment later, the paper was unfolded and placed in the middle of the table for all to see. Hank almost felt tempted to laugh as he saw the forged signature at the top of the page. It looked nothing like his own and only someone, who had never seen his signature before, could be fooled by it. At that moment, Hank knew that he would have to thank Kara until the day he died for being so interested in his signature that she immediately picked up on Perkins’ scheme. 

“I can’t believe this”, the third woman at the table scoffed and shook her head angrily, “I knew these railroad men couldn’t be trusted but that they would stoop so low…”

“I understand your anger, North”, Richard interrupted from the other side of the table, “But I believe it is much more important to figure out what we do now. Knowing the signature is a fake is one thing. What we do now is a whole other question.”

“Do you think it would help in any way if Mr. Anderson went to Mr. Perkins’ employers to show them the forgery?”, Connor wondered.

“I doubt it”, the man next to Simon said, “Many of those railroad magnates are hard to reason with. I doubt they can be swayed into giving up on their plans because one farmer shows up and claims his land was taken from him against his will. At best, they’ll offer Mr. Anderson money, at worst they’ll laugh in his face and have him beat up by their goons.

“Then what do you suggest we do, Markus?”, Mrs. Stern asked with a raised brow. 

“I believe we have to convince Mr. Perkins that this land isn’t what he or his higher-ups want”, Markus answered immediately, “But I have no idea how to achieve that…”

Hank sighed and sank back into his chair as he listened to the others debate over how to save his land. He felt guilty, once again, for not joining in on the discussion more but all his thoughts circled around Gavin and how he was going to lose him forever if they could not come up with a plan in time to stop the railroad from being built. Hank had no clue how long that would actually take but he had a feeling that as soon as the first rails were laid down, there would be no going back. They had to put a stop to this, and they had to do it now. And yet, Hank could not come up with a single plan that sounded reasonable and achievable in whatever little time they had left. 

While the others argued, he looked across the table and caught the eyes of the grocer, Kara. She smiled softly and that smile was so gentle and reassuring that it gave Hank a new glimmer of hope. Surely, these people had gone through hardships together before and had always found a way out of them. And certainly enough, they would do it again. They would save their town and help Hank in the process – even if they didn’t know how much of a service they were really doing him. 

Eventually, Hank was dragged out of his thoughts by, once again, finding all eyes in the room on himself. Everyone at the table looked determined and excited. Hank could only hope it was warranted. Then, Connor turned towards him to explain their plan.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TW/CW: Injury, character getting shot, medical procedures**

Several days later, Hank was still not wholly convinced that all of this would work out as planned. The townspeople’s plan had sounded reasonable enough when he heard it the first time, but now he wasn’t so sure it would be effective anymore. Nevertheless, they had all agreed on it and it would be put into action today.

The day they had come up with it, Hank had gone back home but not immediately made his way to the house. Instead, he had ridden his horse further up north, to the lake. There, he had stood for god knows how long, explaining the plan in detail and hoping that Gavin would trust him again and come to the surface to listen. But the water had stayed calm and quiet with not one bit of the merman in sight. Frustrated, Hank had given up and gone home, hoping that it wasn’t too late and that he wouldn’t lose Gavin no matter what happened.

Almost a week had passed since then. He had sent word to Mr. Perkins to inform him he had changed his mind since – for all intents and purposes – Hank didn’t even know officially that his land was being taken without his permission. Perkins had simply left his house after the last time they spoke and never come back and if it hadn’t been for Kara and the concerned citizens of the town Hank might have never known that the man had forged his signature to get his way.

Whenever Hank thought about Perkins, the blood began to boil in his veins, and he cursed the man with every fiber of his being. He could only hope that their plan would work out and they would get rid of Perkins and the railroad company for good. 

It was just a few minutes before three o’clock this afternoon when Hank stepped outside his house and looked across his land. In the distance, he could see a lone man arriving on horseback. Perkins was as punctual as ever. As their plan dictated, Hank would invite the man into his house under the false pretense that he had changed his mind about selling his land. He would keep Perkins occupied for a while until the others arrived at the farm to intimidate the railroad employee into leaving their area alone – by whatever means necessary. They had agreed that killing Perkins was off the table but, thanks to North, a bit of brute force was not. They all agreed – more or less happily – that the goal of keeping Perkins and the railroad company away was more important than keeping one of their employees unharmed.

Sumo was once more by Hank’s side and growled as Perkins approached. The man got off his horse swiftly and tied it up with only a loose knot before taking the steps up to the porch, where Hank stood. If he felt at all guilty for what he was going to do to Hank and the town, he wasn’t showing it one bit and rage boiled in the taller man so suddenly that he wanted to knock Perkins out right then and there. Only the thought of their plan that he couldn’t so suddenly turn upside down made him shake Perkins’ hand calmly, instead, and lead him inside where they sat at the same small table once again. 

“I must say, I’m surprised to have heard from you again, Mr. Anderson”, Perkins said after taking a sip from the glass of water Hank had provided, “You were quite clear about not wanting to sell your property last time we spoke. When I received your letter, I was sure it was a joke.”

“Things change, Mr. Perkins”, Hank said with a humorless laugh, “One good look at my savings showed me that I could not decline your offer if I don’t want to be starved and out of funds by spring.

“I see”, Perkins stated with a nod, “And though I am saddened to hear that, I am glad to see us come to an agreement after all. It would have been too bad if the railway plans had been stopped by one person unwilling to sell their land. It’s the future of transportation, after all. Don’t you agree?” 

“Oh, I surely do”, Hank answered, even though he did not care at all. But it offered him the opportunity to talk about railroads and Perkins’ and his company’s plans for the future at length, buying him valuable time until the townspeople arrived. 

“Now that you are informed of all our plans, I think it is time you sign our contract”, Perkins stated after they had been talking a while. He picked up a briefcase and pulled a sheet of paper out of it. Hank silently wondered if he had always had a second contract at the ready, just in case Hank changed his mind at some point, or if Perkins had to have this one written once again after signing the original himself. In the end, Hank figured he would never know, and it wasn’t important either. Just as Perkins retrieved a pen from his briefcase, Sumo barked excitedly outside.

“Just a minute, Mr. Perkins”, Hank said as calmly as he could and stood up, “I am expecting more visitors today and it would be rude of me not to greet them.” Perkins looked dismayed at that but made no attempt to stop Hank. The taller man opened the front door and stepped outside. In front of him, on the backs of their horses, he saw Connor and Richard Stern, North, Simon, Markus, and Luther, Kara’s husband. Hank was quite sure that the man was only here because he looked more intimidating than anyone else. From what he had seen from interactions between Luther and his wife and daughter, the man was one of the gentlest and kindest people Hank had ever met. But Perkins didn’t know that and with how broad and tall Luther was, not a lot of people probably assumed he could be gentle at all.

“Is he here?”, North asked, expression grim. Hank nodded and gestured towards his house. The people in front of him nodded, all of them determined to do what needed to be done to save their town. They got off their horses and tied them up just as loosely near where Perkins’ horse was. 

Just at that moment, the man in question left the house and stopped in his tracks at the sight of so many people in front of him. 

“What is the meaning of this?”, he asked, his gaze going from one person to the next as he frowned and looked around, “Why are you all here?” 

“Can’t you think of any reason why we would be here, Perkins?”, North barked angrily. Markus placed a placating hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

“Oh, I think I can come up with a reason or two”, Perkins replied snarkily, “You wouldn’t be the first town of backwards folk that would like for everything to stay just as it has for the past hundreds of years. Progress scares you and that’s why you don’t want a railroad anywhere near your quaint little town. But I tell you right here and now, that progress can’t be stopped and that you better get used to it. Even if you could somehow sway me to make the railway go another route, you can’t keep this up forever. At one point you’ll have to either accept change or die out because of your backward ways.” 

“That remains to be seen”, Markus said calmly, “For now, we only want to talk.” 

“And what do you think this will do?”, Perkins wanted to know, “I won’t tell my employers to upend all their plans because a bunch of grocers and postal workers told me the sad story about how their little town won’t survive if a railroad is built. I’ve heard it a thousand times and I’m sure I’ll hear it a thousand more times. You’ll have to come up with something better than that.

“I’m sure that can be arranged”, North said, producing some brass knuckles from who knows where in the folds of her dress. At the other end of the small group, Luther took a threatening step towards the porch. Perkins wanted to turn around to get something from inside the house, but Hank stepped into his way. And if the tall man himself wasn’t imposing enough, Sumo jumped to his side and growled at Perkins once again. 

“So, all of this was a set-up, then?”, the shorter man asked Hank. There were no signs of fear or defeat on his face, only defiance and disgust. 

“We had a feeling that after you forged my signature to tell your employers I had sold my land you wouldn’t exactly be open to reasonable discussion”, Hank said and raised a brow, “This is merely me seeking the help of friends from town with similar interests to convince you that building tracks here is an awful idea.”

“You found out about the fake contract, huh”, Perkins muttered but not even that seemed to affect him too much, “Well, it is what it is, now. Just know that I won’t change my mind through talk and that, if you beat me up, it will cost you dearly.” 

“I’m sure we can find out a solution that benefits all of us”, Markus said, even as North took another threatening step towards Perkins. 

But the man in question was apparently done talking. He turned towards Hank one last time, presumably in an attempt to get past him and retrieve his briefcase from inside the house. But neither Hank nor Sumo would budge, so Perkins scoffed and turned back around. With surprising swiftness, he untied his horse, raced down from the porch, and climbed into the saddle before anyone could stop him. Once on the horse, none of the people on foot in front of the house dared stop him anymore from fear of being run over by the large animal. 

After a brief moment of shock, everyone else climbed onto their horses too and went to hunt Perkins down. Hank was the last to make it onto his horse’s back, then followed the rest of the group. 

Perkins tried to escape to the east, towards the city, but Connor’s and Richard’s horses were faster and cut off the way in this direction. With his plans foiled Perkins, for some reason, turned towards the north of the property. Maybe he hoped that the men from days earlier would be there again, doing some measuring or otherwise working on the site of the soon-to-come railroad tracks. If they were there, surely, they would protect him from this angry mob of villagers. But it seemed that Perkins was well and thoroughly out of luck that day. The whole area was deserted and with so many people on horseback following him, Perkins had no chance to turn around and flee in another direction a second time. Instead, he was forced to stop at the edge of the lake as Hank and the others came closer and cut off every way of escape for him.

Begrudgingly, the man climbed off his horse and looked around the group with pure disdain on his face.

“I have to admit, you are a far more persistent bunch than I’d taken any of you for”, he said, a forced smile on his face, “I thought I could treat you like any other little town in the middle of nowhere, but it seems I was mistaken.” 

“You are”, Simon said, being the first to get off his own horse once more, “In this town, we stick together and leave no one behind. Not even someone like Mr. Anderson, who doesn’t live in our community. He’s still part of our town and if someone tries to steal his land, we’re going to protect him.” 

Despite the tense situation, Hank felt immensely touched by this scene. In the past months, he had truly made it a habit not to show his face in town unless absolutely necessary and he doubted that, just days ago, anyone besides Kara had known who he even was. And yet, the townspeople had found a common cause and were now fighting not only for their own interests but for his too. Once all this was dealt with, Hank would have to show his gratitude to all of them. But right now, they had to deal with Perkins first. 

“You can stick together all you like”, Perkins sneered, “You have no chance against a large railroad company as you will soon see.” 

“There must be a way to make you and the company change your mind”, Markus insisted. North rolled her eyes next to him. 

“There is none”, Perkins shouted, “When will you understand?! What do you think you could tell me that is so important that it would make me change my mind?” 

Before anyone could answer, a hand emerged from the waters of the lake and grabbed Perkins by the ankle at lightning speed. The man stumbled and barely managed to stay on his feet. His eyes widened in fear as he turned around and his gaze landed on the grim face of the merman currently holding him in place. The others looked just as shocked at the sight of Gavin. Their horses were spooked and on top of their own fear, the people had to rein in the animals. Only Hank and his horse remained calm. They had seen Gavin often enough this year

And yet, Hank was no less surprised to see the merman now than the others were. After everything that had happened, he believed he would never see Gavin again. But maybe the merman had heard Hank’s apologies and the plan he had explained to him without reaction. Maybe, he did believe in Hank’s innocence and will to help him, after all. 

Right now, Hank couldn’t tell. He was simply glad to see Gavin again, even if the merman was currently a truly frightening sight. There was water dripping down his whole body. To grab Perkins by the leg he had had to raise almost his entire torso out of the water. His tail was mostly out of sight, even though a dangerous splashing several feet behind him gave some kind of indication as to where it was. His razor-sharp teeth were bared in an angry grimace as he glared up at Perkins.

The man immediately paled at the sight of the creature currently holding onto him. For once, Hank couldn’t blame him. If Gavin had looked at him like this on their first encounter, he, too, would have been scared half to death.

“You will leave now and never come back”, Gavin demanded, keeping his tight grip on Perkins’ leg, “You will go to whoever sent you and tell them they can’t come here. Tell them, the land is cursed and that if they come here, they will be cursed too.” 

Perkins could only keep staring down at the merman with terror in his eyes. He opened and closed his mouth several times, but no sound came out.

“You have no choice”, Gavin barked, “You can either agree or watch as I drag you to the bottom of this lake and keep you there for the rest of time.” 

That threat seemed to give Perkins his voice back. 

“What are you?!”, he shrieked so loud and terrified that it would surely have shattered glass were there any around. Before Gavin could answer, Perkins swirled around and produced a pistol from an inside pocket of his jacket. Hank watched in horror as the man spun back around and fired a bullet right into Gavin’s left shoulder before he could even get his wits about himself enough to intervene or react in any way. The loud noise of the shot spooked the horses around them even more, making it impossible for anyone to follow as Perkins grabbed the reins of his own mount and forced it to stay still long enough for him to climb onto its back. Then, the horse dashed off, leaving Hank and the townspeople behind in a cloud of dust.

Hank had no idea if anyone managed to calm their horse enough to follow Perkins and he didn’t care about it either. The only thing that mattered right now was Gavin. After being shot, the merman had sunk away from the edge of the lake and out of sight. Hank took the few steps from where he stood to the side of the lake and collapsed onto his knees, calling out Gavin’s name. After a moment or two, the merman breached the surface once again and looked at him. He was paler than Hank had ever seen him and now there was not only water running down his body as he appeared but blood as well. Hank had seen some bullet wounds in his time – usually, accidents while hunting – and yet the sight of Gavin’s terrified him more than that of any other wound had before.

“Is he gone?”, Gavin asked, his voice low and strained. 

“I don’t care about that now”, Hank answered without hesitation, “We’ll have to take care of you first.” Before Gavin had any chance to react, Hank wrapped both arms around his torso and pulled him up and towards him until the merman was almost completely lifted out of the water. Not knowing how essential the lake was to Gavin’s survival, Hank positioned the merman so that the lowest third of his tail was still in the water. Gavin howled in pain as Hank pulled at him and surely put some strain on the fresh wound. But there was no way Hank could treat Gavin while he was fully submerged in water. 

“W-what is that?”, a terrified voice from where the townspeople were asked. 

“His name is Gavin”, Hank answered as he hurried to tear off his shirt to press the fabric to Gavin’s wound and stop the blood from flowing out freely, “He’s a merman, who lives in this lake. He’s the reason I didn’t want to sell my land.” Not sure what the townspeople would think Hank kept the part of him being in love with Gavin to himself. Instead, he focused solely on the man in front of him, who seemed to be growing paler by the minute.

“We have to help him.” 

“We can get our mother”, a second voice – Hank wasn’t sure if it was Connor’s or Richard’s – suggested, “She is not a doctor but I’m sure she knows enough to treat your friend.”

“That’s right”, Simon agreed, “But she can’t treat him out here.” 

“Connor and Richard can go fetch Amanda and her supplies, the rest of us can help Hank get his friend to his house”, Markus decided, easily falling into his role as leader of the group again.

Meanwhile, Hank couldn’t believe that these people would help him and Gavin at all. They had stood by his side when it was about getting rid of Perkins because there had been a common goal there. But Hank would have never expected them to keep standing by his side once they found out about Gavin. If he was honest with himself, he never wanted anyone to know about him at all, keeping the merman his own secret. But even if it had somehow come out that a merman lived in the lake to the north of Hank’s house, Hank would have never expected any solidarity upon that discovery. Maybe he had a wrong picture of the townspeople and other humans in general, but this support was overwhelming, and he had no idea how to repay them all. 

But, right now, that wasn’t something that needed his immediate attention either way. At this moment, all that mattered was getting Gavin to his house and making sure he survived. 

“You’ll be fine”, Hank whispered into Gavin’s ear as he let go of him to get his horse and climb onto it. Gavin held Hank’s shirt pressed to his shoulders, teeth grit against the pain. The cloth was almost completely soaked through by now and Hank began to worry that they wouldn’t be able to make it to his house in time. But he forbade himself such thoughts. Instead, he watched Markus and North grab Gavin and carry him to Hank’s horse. It was a group effort of three humans and one merman to get Gavin onto the horse, his torso curled up against Hank’s chest and his tail hanging off the side of the animal.

“You’ll be fine”, Hank told him once again as he urged his horse to run home as fast as it possibly could. The landscape flew by so quickly that Hank could barely tell where he was. He simply trusted that the animal underneath them would make its way home as surely as it had done dozens of times before.

As they went, Hank held on tightly to Gavin, whispering reassuring words into the merman’s ear constantly. He could not, would not allow Gavin to be taken from him as his wife and son had been not too long ago. Hank would never be able to bear that loss. And he would feel guilty for the rest of his life for getting Gavin involved in their human affairs. 

Suddenly, much sooner than expected the horse stopped and when Hank took a look around, he realized that he was home. With Markus, Simon and North still a good bit behind him, he jumped off the horse himself, taking Gavin with him. Carrying the merman into his house all by himself was a feat of almost superhuman strength but, somehow, Hank did it. At the door, Sumo was already waiting and barked excitedly as he saw Gavin. But the dog quickly realized that something was amiss and, instead, began guarding his owner and the merman fiercely. 

Hank, in the meantime, wondered where to place Gavin. The bed would surely be the most comfortable spot, but he was sure Gavin would need water around him too and Hank couldn’t very well flood his own bed. So, instead, he carefully placed Gavin in the large, metal tub he used to clean both himself and his clothes. It was far too small, barely holding Gavin’s torso and the first third of his fin, but it was all they had right now. 

“I’ll get you some water”, Hank called out to Gavin, who had by now closed his eyes, “Everything will be fine.” 

Then, he grabbed a bucket and raced outside to get to the well but was stopped by Markus, Simon, and North. 

“You go inside and take care of your friend”, Markus told him and took the bucket from Hank’s hand, “We’ll take care of getting water to you fast.” 

A quick “thank you” was all Hank managed to breathe out before he ran back inside and fell to his knees next to the tub with Gavin inside it. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you”, the merman said, suddenly, his voice barely above a whisper, “I should have trusted you…” It was obvious that he had trouble speaking and Hank quickly shushed him.

“I mean it”, Gavin insisted, nevertheless, “You were kind to me from the first moment and I still didn’t trust you. I’m very sorry…”

“You have nothing to be sorry for”, Hank assured him. Before he could continue speaking, Simon entered the room with a bucket full of water in hand. Some of it splashed out and landed on the floor but most of it did end up in the tub. Simon turned on his heel and left and a moment later Markus took his place.

Hank didn’t dare to be too optimistic, but he had a feeling that with every bit of water that was poured over Gavin, the merman calmed down a little. Being injured and out of his element must have been awful and it was a relief to see him calm down somewhat. And yet, Hank was terrified of losing Gavin. He only left his side once to get a fresh cloth to press onto the wound instead of his shirt. The blood was coming more slowly now but Hank couldn’t tell if it was because the pressure was working or because Gavin was running out of blood.

Before Hank could say more, Simon and Markus returned to fill more water into the tub, then ran back out again. 

“Will you forgive me?”, Gavin asked, his voice even weaker than before.

“There’s nothing to forgive”, Hank told him, taking one of Gavin’s hands in his, “You had your reasons to distrust me and I can only hope I could change your mind a little. But now stop talking like you’re going to die. I won’t let you die. And neither will the others.”

Gavin smiled weakly. He opened his mouth to try and say something, but no sound came out. Instead, his grip on Hank’s hand tightened somewhat. Markus and Simon returned with more water and the tub began to fill slowly but surely.

The next time the door opened, it was Amanda Stern. She took one quick look at Gavin, then wasted no time giving instructions to her sons as she crossed the room and fell to her knees next to Gavin’s injured shoulder.

“This is bad”, she said as she leaned closer. With one hand, she was looking for something in a large leather bag she had brought, with the other she poked and prodded at the wound and the surrounding skin. Gavin hissed in pain and his grip on Hank’s hand tightened so much the human thought he was surely going to have bruises from this. 

“At least the bullet went right through him and didn’t get stuck”, Amanda muttered.

What happened next all blurred together for Hank. After Connor and Richard lit a fire in the small fireplace, Amanda went to heat a needle over it, before she attached a thread to it and went to close Gavin’s wound with sure stitches. The merman didn’t have the strength to scream in pain, but he kept making pained noises and his grip on Hank’s hand tightened even more. At some point, the human was sure he heard a bone crack somewhere in his hand, but he couldn’t care less. In intervals, Markus and Simon would still come in with buckets full of water. Once the tub was filled, Amanda shooed everyone but Hank outside so she could work in peace. Whether it took five minutes or several hours, Hank couldn’t tell. All he knew was that, by the time she was done closing Gavin’s wound, the three of them were thoroughly exhausted.

“This is all I can do right now”, Amanda said and wiped the sweat off her forehead with her sleeve, “I don’t know if it’s enough. I haven’t done this too often and never on someone like him…”

“You did what you could. Thank you”, Hank assured her and tore his eyes away from Gavin for just a moment, “We all did what we could. I just hope it was enough.”

Amanda nodded solemnly on the other side of the tub. Hank sank back into his own world that consisted only of Gavin right now. He kept his gaze on him, watching his chest closely to see if he was still breathing, and panicked a little when Gavin’s grip on his hand loosened. Eventually, Hank figured that Gavin must have passed out and he couldn’t blame him. After all this, Hank wished he could fall asleep, too, and not wake until it was all over. But as that was not an option, Hank stayed where he was, even if his whole body began to ache. Occasionally, he could hear the others talking outside but couldn’t understand a word that was said. Amanda left at some point, saying she would return to look after Gavin the next day. Hank didn’t care about that either. All he cared about was Gavin.

At some point, the door opened, and Kara stepped into the house. She held a lantern in one hand, indicating that it had already gotten dark outside. Hank was only somewhat surprised. He had no concept of the passage of time anymore. In her other hand, Kara held a basket. Only when she walked closer did Hank see her daughter clinging to her skirts and following her through the house.

“Mr. Anderson, I brought you something to eat”, Kara said and put the basket down near Hank, “Amanda suggested you might not be eating, and I wanted to make sure you did.”

“You can call me Hank”, Hank muttered, “And I’m not hungry.” But as soon as he said it, his stomach rumbled loudly and for everyone in the room to hear.

“Please eat, Hank”, Kara insisted, “You’ll need your strength for when your friend wakes up. You’ll be no good to him if you’re completely exhausted.” 

Hank could not deny that she was right and begrudgingly pulled the basket closer. Inside was freshly baked bread as well as cheese and some sausages. It was far too much for only one person, so Hank offered some to Kara and her daughter but they both declined.

While Hank ate, Kara’s daughter slowly came closer and eventually placed one of her small hands on Gavin’s tail. Her eyes grew wide with surprise as she let her hand run down across the scales for a moment before her mother snatched her hand away.

“Alice, stop”, she hissed, “You can’t just touch someone without asking permission first,” Alice muttered an apology into the room but kept looking at Gavin without hiding her curiosity.

“Why does your friend look like this?”, Alice asked after a while. It took Hank a moment to realize he was being talked to. When he did, he put the food down and looked at the girl.

“That’s because he’s a merman. Their bodies look like yours or mine but instead of legs they have a long tail with a fin at the end”, Hank explained and before he knew it, he told Alice everything Gavin had taught him about merfolk and how they lived. The girl loved to listen, and Hank found that it lessened his anxiety considerably to be talking about Gavin. After he had told Alice everything he knew about merpeople Hank continued by telling her stories about Gavin specifically. The young girl was still beyond excited to hear those, but at some point, her eyes began falling shut and she could barely suppress the yawns that came in more and more frequent intervals. 

“I think it is time for us to head home”, Kara said and ran her hand through her daughter’s hair, “Most of the others have gone back to town already and I’m sure they’re waiting for news on you and your friend.” Hank nodded vaguely. He didn’t mind Kara’s and Alice’s company, but it was clear that his house was not big enough to hold three humans, one dog, and a merman in a tub for the night. So, he only watched as Kara packed her things and re-lit the lantern. As she reached the door, she turned around one last time.

“Markus and North are still outside. They offered to stand guard through the night if you want them to – just in case Perkins comes back”, she told Hank and, once again, the man couldn’t believe how kind all these people he had properly been introduced to only days ago were being to him.

“I’ll be fine”, he said, nevertheless, “Thank you all for your kindness…but I’ll be fine.” Kara nodded and wished Hank a good night before leaving the house. Outside, he could hear voices talking for a moment or two before they were replaced by the sound of hooves on the ground.

As that sound slowly faded out, too, Hank allowed himself a moment to relax. This day had been far more stressful than he had expected – and he had already suspected a fair amount of strain and chaos with Perkins around. But then, Gavin had gotten involved and everything had gotten just so much worse. Hank sighed and let a hand run through Gavin’s hair. The merman was still pale and unconscious in the tub and the human wished nothing more than to be able to help him somehow. But he knew that, right now, he could only wait – and that made things just that much worse. Hank could take losing a battle, as long as he was allowed to fight in it and lose fairly. But a fight like this, where winning or losing was not in his hand, was something he could barely take.

Stubbornly, Hank wanted to see things through, though. He wanted to stay up all night and see for himself if Gavin was getting better or worse. But he was only human and at some point, his eyes would keep falling shut. Next to him, Sumo was already snoring and the quiet and darkness of night finally lulled Hank into a fitful slumber, too.

When he woke up the next morning, it was with a start. As he slept, Hank had curled up on the ground next to the tub and now his whole body ached. But that was not what had woken him up. Instead, when he raised a hand to his face, he felt that part of it was wet. Hank ran his fingers further up to the right side of his face, which was currently facing the ceiling to try and figure out, where the water might be coming from. To his own surprise, when his fingers traveled up into his hair, they suddenly collided with something cold and wet. That something wiggled away a little and then Hank heard a rough chuckling sound above him.

“Gavin?”, he asked heart racing in his chest. He had hoped, wished, and prayed last night that the merman would still be alive the next morning and it seemed that, thankfully, his prayers had been answered.

“Finally”, Gavin croaked above him, “I thought you were never going to wake up.” At that, Hank sat up so fast it made his head spin, and it took him a moment to register that he was not dreaming. Once his brain had caught up with his body’s actions, he found himself looking into Gavin’s eyes. The merman was still somewhat pale and weak-looking, but he looked far better than he did the previous day. He even smiled weakly up at Hank from where his head rested on the edge of the tub.

“You’re alive”, Hank gasped and couldn’t help that tears immediately welled up in his eyes. One of his hands flew to take Gavin’s, the one that had been in his hair just moments earlier, and held it tight.

“I am”, Gavin answered, and he sounded surprised himself, “All thanks to you and the other humans. You saved me.” 

“I’m so glad we did it”, Hank sighed, rubbing at his eyes with his free hand, “I didn’t think we could…I was so afraid you would…” He couldn’t even finish that thought and Gavin didn’t make him. Instead, he squeezed the hand currently holding his and looked up at Hank with understanding in his expression. 

“You don’t have to worry anymore”, he assured Hank, “Merfolk heal a lot quicker and easier than humans do. Now that there’s no danger of me bleeding out anymore, I’m sure I’ll be alright soon.”

When he heard that, Hank couldn’t believe how lucky he was. Up until now, he hadn’t really dared to be hopeful about Gavin’s recovery. But learning that it was easier for the merman to heal than it would have been for a human, was the good news Hank had subconsciously been waiting for to finally allow himself to relax somewhat. He even allowed a few tears to run down his cheeks as he bowed his head and pressed several kisses to the back of Gavin’s hand. Above him, it was now the merman’s turn to tell Hank that everything would be alright and that he had nothing to worry about anymore. 

They stayed like this for a while, just enjoying how close they were to one another and that there was no immediate danger of one of them succumbing to a wound anymore. Hank could still barely believe that he should have gotten so lucky for once and wouldn’t have to deal with the loss of another loved one.

Then, after some time, Gavin broke the silence.

“Not to sound ungrateful or demanding, but…do you have anything to eat for me?” 

Hank blinked for a moment, the question seeming strange and unfitting of a scenario like this. But then he remembered that he hadn’t eaten in a while, either – and Gavin might have gone without food for even longer. He laughed and nodded before letting go of Gavin’s hand and getting to his feet. Something popped in one of Hank’s knees and he suddenly felt very old. 

“I’ll check on the chickens”, he told Gavin, “You still like eggs, don’t you?” The merman nodded so eagerly that Hank couldn’t help but laugh. And it was so relieving to let that sound out into the room. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of Hank’s shoulders and he could finally feel free again. In front of him, Gavin complained just a bit about Hank making fun of him but, all in all, he didn’t seem to mind. He, too, seemed relieved to see the human laugh again. 

A minute later, Hank left the house to go get some eggs from the makeshift coop. He half-expected with a sudden flash of guilt and shame to find his horse still tied up outside, but one of the townspeople must have brought the animal back to the stable. Hank would have to thank whoever it had been later, he figured. Even more so, when he entered the stable and saw that someone had even fed the horse and the chickens and left fresh water for them. The more he saw of them, the guiltier Hank began to feel for avoiding the people of the town as much as he had done the past months. Once again, he promised himself that he would remedy that as soon as Gavin was feeling better.

With his thoughts now back on the merman, Hank hurried over to the chicken coop to check for eggs. His three chickens complained loudly about the intrusion, but Hank was used to that by now. When he threw some fodder into the coop for them, the complaining ended almost instantly. 

“I’ll come back to take care of you in a bit”, Hank promised the horse, then left the stable again. He would have taken care of the animal right now, but his hands were full of eggs, and bringing those indoors and to safety was more important. 

By the time he returned indoors, Gavin had managed to sit up more in the tub. As Hank entered, the merman was busy examining the scales on his tail with a frown.

“I have to get back to the lake soon”, Gavin sighed, “My scales are already drying out.”

“I’ll get you there as soon as I can”, Hank promised, even though he was not too happy about the idea of leaving Gavin out of his sight again so soon, “But for now, I think food is more important.”

The merman nodded and watched from his spot in the tub as Hank lit a fire in the fireplace and prepared a pan to fry the eggs and some meat from the pantry. As soon as the first egg hit the pan and the scent of it spread throughout the room, Sumo woke up.

The dog looked around and pressed his snout to whatever part of Gavin he could reach, delighted to see his friend again. The merman was just as happy to meet the dog and ruffled his thick fur as he cooed at him. Hank smiled and watched for a while, knowing full well this peace wouldn’t last. And truly, not a minute later, Sumo abandoned his spot by Gavin’s side to join Hank instead and see if he couldn’t get some of the eggs from the pan for himself. Gavin laughed from his spot in the tub, watching Hank wrestle the dog and the pan, trying to let neither get too close to the fire. Any other day, Hank might have been annoyed by the lack of help, but right now, Gavin’s laugh was the most beautiful sound he could imagine, and he was beyond happy to hear it – even if it was at his expense. 

Finally, breakfast was done, and Hank sat, contentedly, next to the tub. He and Gavin ate in relative silence while they watched Sumo noisily devour an egg he had managed to steal from Hank’s plate as well as the eggshells and a small piece of bacon Hank had fed him. The human and the merman sat in companionable silence and it was so beautiful and familiar that it almost made Hank forget the hardships they had just gone through. In fact, if it weren’t for Gavin’s current residence in his tub and the bandages around his shoulder, Hank might have forgotten the merman was ever so gravely injured that he had feared for his life.

Amanda came to a similar conclusion when she came to visit later in the day. When she undid the bandage around Gavin’s shoulder, she found, to hers and Hank’s surprise, that the wound had already closed almost completely. 

“We just heal a lot faster than you lot”, Gavin commented, somewhat on edge around someone he wasn’t close to. Hank wasn’t sure if the merman had already realized that the whole town now knew about him, but he had a feeling that Gavin was aware of that. He could see that the man was trying to be friendly to Amanda, but his wariness and the snappy answers that came with it won out more often than not.

But Amanda didn’t seem to mind terribly. When she left just an hour after she had arrived, she told Hank that there was nothing more she could or needed to do and that all that was left to do now was to wait for Gavin to heal fully. Hank didn’t ask if she actually possessed any knowledge of merfolk or was simply making a guess. He thanked her and wondered if she was right, instead.

Soon, it proved that Amanda had been right. Merely five days after he had been shot by Perkins, Gavin told Hank that he wanted to return to the lake.

“My shoulder is healed, and I feel well enough to return”, he told Hank, who couldn’t help but look skeptical.

“Are you sure?”, he asked, something in him not wanting to let the merman out of his sight just yet, “Winter is coming fast, and I imagine it’s very uncomfortable out there in the cold. Are you sure you don’t want to stay here until spring?” Gavin sighed and looked at Hank as one would, who had to tell their child that it wasn’t getting the doll it had asked for.

“I am sure”, he said firmly, even if Hank could see that Gavin wasn’t too happy with that decision either, “I mean, look at me.” He gestured at himself. Most of his tail was still hanging over the edge of the tub. Hank brought in buckets full of water to keep it somewhat moisturized during the day but that was a chore, and it took away valuable space in the small house. 

“Do you really think either of us would be happy living like this the whole winter long?”

Hank sighed and hung his head low in defeat. He knew that Gavin was right and that he was selfish for trying to convince him otherwise. If he kept the merman in his house, Gavin would probably just get sick or they’d grow tired of each other. And there wasn’t nearly enough room in the house to house two men and a dog comfortably for an entire season. Hank knew he had to accept that and yet the idea of bringing Gavin back to the lake seemed almost cruel.

“Will you be able to make it through the winter? I hear it gets very cold up here”, Hank said, not sure where he was even going with that. When he lifted his head again, Gavin rolled his eyes at him. 

“This isn’t my first winter out in the cold, Hank”, the merman stated, as if explaining something to a child, “And so far, I’ve always been able to find enough food and shelter to tide me over until spring.” 

Hank was sure he didn’t look convinced and it had to show on his face, too, because Gavin added: “You’re always welcome to visit me. You don’t have to stay long but I’ll be happy to see you. And if you worry so much, you can always bring food with you too.”

Feeling a soft smile tug at the corners of his mouth, Hank suppressed a comment about Gavin only wanting him to visit for the food he could bring. Even if that truly was the only reason the merman wanted to see him, he would go. But Hank knew that this wasn’t the only reason Gavin invited him out to the lake and he wouldn’t decline that invitation.

“Fine”, he said eventually, looking Gavin in the eyes, “I’ll ride into town tomorrow to see if I can’t find someone to help me get you on my horse so I can get you back to the lake.

“Thank you!”, Gavin said and beamed at him. Then, his expression turned more somber again.

“I meant what I said the other day, you know?”, he said, looking down at his hands first, then back up at Hank, “I  _ am _ sorry that I didn’t trust you when you said you didn’t sell your land.”

“It’s fine”, Hank hurried to assure the merman, “I’m sure you have your reasons not to trust me – or any human for that matter.”

“It was still stupid not to trust you”, Gavin insisted, “You never did anything to make me think you weren’t honest with me and I just assumed the worst.” Taking Hank by surprise, the merman outstretched one arm from the tub and took one of the human’s hands in his, running cold, wet fingers across the back of it. Before the human could say anything, the merman spoke again.

“I see now that you really care for me and I should have seen it then too”, Gavin said with a sincerity that Hank wasn’t used to from the merman, “No one has ever cared about me like this, and I know it. I cherished every second we spent together this year. And I feel like a monster for being so ready to throw that all away on a whim just because I heard two men say something, I was afraid to hear. I should have trusted you as I trusted you all those other times and if you’re not too upset with me and you’ll let me, I’ll do my best to trust you more in the future.”

“Are you serious?”, Hank asked and couldn’t hold back a breathless chuckle, “What part of me trying to convince you I hadn’t betrayed you and taking you in after Perkins shot you makes you think that I hold a grudge for you not trusting me on this one thing?” Gavin blushed deeply and it was one of the most endearing things that Hank had ever seen.

“I just wanted you to know that…”, Gavin muttered, squeezing Hank’s hand tightly in his. With a smile, Hank squeezed back. He had a feeling that apologies didn’t come easy to the merman, but he knew that even if they did, he would have accepted this one and cherished it just as he did right now. 

They sat in silence for several long moments, holding each other’s hands. Gavin kept looking down at them until, suddenly, he lifted his head and looked Hank directly in the eyes. Then, the merman leaned forward and pressed his lips to the human’s. It felt like an eternity had passed since they had done this last, even if it was a few weeks at most. But Hank hadn’t realized until this moment how much he loved kissing Gavin. Sure they had done it time and again – first to tease, then because they both enjoyed it. But it had never carried as much weight and emotion as it did now. There was a purpose behind the way Gavin’s lips moved against Hank’s, an emotion the merman wanted to convey and Hank was eager to drink it all up. Even if Gavin’s lips were cold at first, they warmed quickly the longer they kissed. It was a tender, loving kiss with no ulterior motive behind it but to show the other that he was loved and cherished. Gavin gave what he could, and Hank took, then gave back in equal measure. 

Both men would have gladly stayed like this forever, but soon both were running out of breath and had to part. When they did, they shared a look so full of emotion that it was obvious that neither would distrust the other again. There had been so much in that kiss, so much of one’s self laid bare that the trust between them was now all-encompassing and nearly impossible to break. Hank thought for a moment that if he had known that this was all it took, he would have kissed Gavin like this much sooner. Then again, he figured that there was a time and a place for things like this, and maybe neither had been right before. It hurt to know that it had taken the pain of almost losing Gavin to get them to this point but who was Hank to complain about destiny if it held not only pain and suffering but also so much beauty and love? 

Neither of them said much for the rest of the day. Instead, they sat as close to one another as they could, exchanging kisses every now and again. They didn’t need to speak to let the other know how they felt at that moment. Both were happy to be reunited like this again and excited for what life would hold for them in the future, yet they feared the separation that would begin the next morning. 

“Are you sure you want to return to the lake?”, Hank asked late that night. His eyes were already falling shut. Gavin nodded but there was a notable sadness in his eyes as he said it.

“I am sure”, he told Hank nevertheless, “I can’t live on land with you, as much as I would sometimes like to. But I’m sure we’ll find ways to spend time together. And when spring comes, we have three whole seasons to spend together before it’s winter again.” Hank knew that Gavin was right and yet it felt wrong to have to be apart for so long after they had only now found back into each other’s arms. But it couldn’t be helped, and the human was sure they had both gone through worse. It didn’t ease the pain and worry that came with Gavin’s approaching departure, but it made it more bearable.

That night, Hank once again slept next to the tub, curled up on the floor underneath a blanket while Gavin’s hands idly played with his hair. 

The next morning, as much as he dreaded it, Hank honored his word and rode into town early in the morning. He found Luther outside the general store, playing a game with Alice, and the man agreed easily to help Hank bring Gavin back to the lake. Leaving the store in Kara’s capable hands, he fetched the family’s horse and followed Hank out of town and to his farm. On the way, Luther told Hank how enamored Alice was with the merman. All she wanted to hear as bedtime stories now were stories of merfolk. Hank smiled fondly at that but didn’t say much in reply as he was too occupied with his worries. But he did promise Luther to ask Gavin if Alice would be allowed to visit him at the lake. 

Once at the farm, they prepared a waterskin to keep Gavin somewhat hydrated on the way back to the lake. They had managed without one the last time Hank had made that ride but that had been at breakneck speed and the fear of Gavin dying a constant at the back of Hank’s head. This time, they could progress more slowly. Gavin himself was excited at that prospect, given he usually only saw the land around the lake and would be able to see more of the farm that way. As soon as everything was prepared, Hank got his horse ready outside the house and mounted it while Luther went inside to carry Gavin from the tub to the horse. The merman made a fuss and looked more like a pouting child than a mythical creature when the tall man carried him outside. But it was the only way things could be done if he wanted to ride on Hank’s horse.

Soon enough, Gavin was safely on horseback with Hank and Luther back on his own mount. Even when both Hank and Gavin insisted that there was no need for Luther to join them, the man accompanied them on their ride, saying that they could never know if they might need help. Sumo, who refused to be left out, completed their small group and followed them eagerly across the land. 

While Gavin didn’t look happy at all at first, he was quickly distracted by his surroundings, taking in as much as he could of places he had never seen, even though he lived so close to them. Meanwhile, Hank and Luther were having a pleasant conversation about one thing or another. Almost as an afterthought, Luther told Hank that there was no danger to his land anymore. Not an hour after their encounter and shooting Gavin, Perkins had fled the town in a hurry, screaming about a monster in the lake and a curse over the entire area. No one expected him to return. Hank could only chuckle mildly at that, his anger and hatred towards Perkins still too fresh to allow for anything more. But in his arms, he could feel Gavin’s chest swell with pride and he was sure, even if he could not see it, that the merman was smiling mischievously. 

Far too soon they finally made it to the lake. Luther, once again, held Gavin for as long as it took Hank to climb off his horse. Then he handed the merman over to the other man to let him carry Gavin to the water. In the meantime, Luther took both horses and Sumo for a little walk around the area, wanting to give the two men time to say their goodbyes undisturbed. 

“I’m going to miss you”, Hank said as soon as the merman was back in the lake and Luther was out of earshot. Gavin smiled a sad little smile and nodded.

“I’ll miss you too”, he sighed and took Hank’s hand in his once more, “But you can always come to visit me if you feel like it despite the cold. If the lake doesn’t freeze over completely, we’ll still be able to meet.” Hank, of course, knew all these things but that didn’t make things any less painful. He would try to come to the lake as often as he could but from what he had heard, winters up here in the northwest could get brutally cold and he had no clue how often he would have the chance to go and see Gavin.

“Those will be the longest months of this whole year”, Hank muttered, and Gavin nodded slowly. Then, the merman gestured for Hank to kneel down at the edge of the lake. This late into the year it was already far too cold to get into the water with the merman, so this was the next best thing. Gavin grabbed the sides of Hank’s face and pulled the human in for a fierce kiss. It didn’t last long but held so much emotion that it left Hank dizzy and teary-eyed. Then, Gavin leaned in close to Hank’s ear and whispered: “Please don’t forget that I love you.”

Hank was about to reply but the next moment, Gavin let go of him and dove deep into the waters of the lake, where Hank couldn’t see him.

“I love you too”, the human whispered, hoping that the water would carry the words to the merman. 

After the summer had been unusually hot, winter proved to be unusually cold. In the last weeks of fall, Hank spent several days chopping down trees so he would have enough firewood for the cold days. But soon enough, he had to ride into town and ask the people there for help and firewood. More often than not, he was then invited in and given either a drink or a warm meal after his ride in the cold and so, over the winter, Hank finally got to know many of the people in town. He got along especially well with Amanda’s sons, who offered to help him on the farm in spring, and Luther, who often asked for news on Gavin, as his wife and daughter were worried for the merman a lot. 

But as much as Hank grew closer to the townspeople, as little did he see Gavin in the cold, dark months of winter. Most days, it was either too cold or the snow was too deep to make the way without risking getting either Hank or his horse sick. On the few occasions that Hank did manage to visit Gavin, their encounters were very brief. The human got cold very quickly whenever he stood outside in the snow without movement and the merman preferred the comparative warmth at the bottom of the lake to the cold and harsh winds at the surface. Every time they saw each other, they exchanged kisses and promises that everything would get easier once spring came around. And yet, it felt like an eternity until the new season finally came in. 

And even then, Hank couldn’t go to Gavin immediately, as he would have liked. There was much to do on the farm once the snow had melted and he needed to sow new crops if he wanted something to eat or sell in the winter. Even with the help of Connor and Richard, it took almost two weeks until everything was ready. This year, Hank had a wider variety of crops and some experience tending to them, so he was certain that during this year’s harvest, he would be able to repay the people of the town for their kindness with the produce he grew on his farm. 

But more pressing than that was his desire to see Gavin again. On the first day that he didn’t spend entirely on preparing soil or sowing, Hank got on his horse first thing in the morning and rode up to the lake. He left Sumo back at home, wanting his first meeting with Gavin to go undisturbed. His saddlebags were full of food that he and the merman could enjoy together, and the human was beyond excited to finally be able to spend a longer period of time with his lover than he had all winter. 

When he came within sight of the lake, Hank saw that Gavin was already by the edge of it, looking just as excited to see him. Or at least that was what Hank first thought. When he came closer, he realized that Gavin’s expression wasn’t the happy one he’d been expecting. Instead, he looked determined but nervous, his gaze constantly flickering around the area.

“Finally”, the merman complained when Hank had tied the horse up on a nearby tree, “I thought you wouldn’t come to visit me at all anymore.”

“We both agreed it was too cold”, Hank sighed but smiled, nevertheless. Gavin could be a little complicated when it came to expressing his emotions so the human thought maybe the merman was just excited to see him and didn’t know how to properly tell him. 

Good-naturedly, Hank knelt down by the edge of the lake to say hello but before he could even open his mouth, Gavin had pulled him into a searing kiss. Hank blinked, confused since Gavin had never kissed him like this before. All their previous kisses had been chaste, sweet affairs but now the merman seemed set on devouring Hank whole. The human wanted to draw back and ask what was going on, but Gavin wouldn’t let him. So, Hank stayed where he was, letting himself be kissed fiercely and trying to match the other man’s desire as best he could. It had been a long time since Hank had kissed anyone like this and after his wife died, he didn’t think he ever would again, but here he was. 

“Now, you really missed me, huh?”, he commented, breathlessly, when Gavin finally let go of him after minutes of kissing like this. The merman nodded, then nodded towards the north.

“Follow me”, he said, and before Hank could even ask what for, Gavin dove underneath the surface and swam into the direction he had indicated. Confused, Hank followed. He had no idea what had gotten into Gavin and he wasn’t sure if he would learn anytime soon. But he was willing to trust the other man.

However, Hank didn’t see Gavin for a while, as he walked by the edge of the lake. After a bit, the dry earth was replaced by bushes and shrubbery that the human had to work through and around while Gavin had surely chosen the easier route through the water. But then, finally, Hank made it through a last wall of underbrush when he found himself at something that looked like a small beach. The entry into the lake was flat here, the sandy ground making way to the water far softer than on the sharp edges around the rest of the lake. With trees above and bushes around the area, it was like a small cave out in the open that no one could see into or could easily get to. There, Gavin waited for him.

The moment he saw him again, Hank had a feeling that something was off with the merman. Gavin had already dragged himself most of the way onto the sand, only the last third of his tail was still in the water. Even from several steps away, Hank could see that the merman’s breath was coming rapid and shallow. Gavin’s eyes were glazed over as if in a fever and his facial expression was unreadable. Worried, the human walked closer and dropped to his knees next to the merman. When he placed a hand on his cheek, Gavin whined, and Hank realized that his temperature seemed to be higher than usual too.

“What’s wrong?”, Hank asked immediately, “Are you ill?” Gavin shook his head vehemently and even laughed a little. 

“This happens to me each year in spring”, he said and placed one of his hands above Hank’s on his cheek, “I just didn’t think you’d be here for it this year.” Gavin’s expression turned somewhat pained for a moment, then it returned to normal. When Hank still didn’t understand, he continued.

“Each year us merfolk go through a mating cycle”, the merman said, blushing deeply, “I can’t describe it well but it’s the time of the year when merfolk usually get together to conceive offspring. But since I don’t have any other merperson around…” 

“So…you’re aroused?”, Hank asked when Gavin didn’t say any more. He was sure he had to be bright red in the face while, at the same time, he felt an all too familiar heat spread low in his belly. Hank hadn’t dared think of this before, unsure whether it was even possible between a merman and a human, but now that Gavin spoke about it, his mind began to wander. 

“I was wondering if you would be my mate”, Gavin said into the silence between them, “I know this must be strange but I trust you and-“

The merman didn’t get further than that. This time, it was Hank’s turn to pull the other in for a passionate kiss. Gavin went willingly, soft and wanting under the human’s hands. For a few moments, Hank hesitated but then he allowed one of his hands to roam, carefully down the side of Gavin’s neck, across his chest, and then further down. The merman mewled into the kiss, pulling the human closer and shivering slightly. Hank stopped his exploration where Gavin’s torso turned to fin, bringing his hand back up and caressing the merman’s chest instead. With a whine, Gavin broke away from him.

“Please, hurry up”, the merman whined, and it went straight to Hank’s groin. He wasn’t sure if he had ever seen someone so needy and desperate for his touch, but he wasn’t going to deny Gavin. As quickly as he could, Hank unbuttoned his shirt and hurried to get out of his pants and underwear. He had been barely half-hard when their kiss began but the obvious desperation in Gavin’s voice had brought him to full hardness by the time he was naked. The merman’s eyes widened at the sight of Hank’s erection and he licked his lips. The human knew, of course, that he was on the bigger side and he had prided himself in that for most of his life. Gavin’s hungry reaction to seeing him naked only fueled his arousal even more.

Before Hank could do anything, however, one of Gavin’s hands wrapped around his length. The cold wetness of his skin was a stark contrast to his own flesh and Hank hissed at the contact. Soon enough, however, the feeling turned from strange to pleasant and the human found himself thrusting into the ring of Gavin’s hand.

The only downside to the position they were currently in – Gavin lying on his back in the sand, Hank kneeling next to him – was that Hank couldn’t properly touch the merman. But when he sought to remedy that, Gavin shook his head and redirected Hank further down his body.

“I need you inside me”, the merman whined, his voice at least half an octave higher than usual. His desire fueled Hank’s own need and the human nodded eagerly.

“How do I…?”, he asked. This was his first time being with a merman after all and he had no idea how such a thing would work. But as eager as Gavin was, he was equally determined to help Hank.

“Straddle my tail”, he said, “A few inches underneath my bellybutton you should find…what you’re looking for.”

Hank did as he was asked. He had never before realized how massive Gavin’s tail was, but now he had to spread his legs wide to be able to kneel on either side of the appendage. Then, he looked down in front of him. At first, he was worried he wouldn’t find what Gavin needed him to find and he would make a fool of himself. But then he saw the scales part in front of his very eyes, opening up into a glistening slit. Curious as he was, Hank sunk a finger into it and marveled, surprised, at how hot and slick Gavin was inside. Meanwhile, the merman mewled above him, fingers digging into the sand next to him in a desperate search for purchase.

“Hank, please”, Gavin begged and, as much as he would have liked to continue exploring Gavin with his hands, Hank decided he didn’t want to be a tease when his partner was this desperate. 

Carefully, he moved further up the merman’s large tail until he almost hovered above the glistening slit. Then, he angled his body and wrapped a hand around the base of his erection to help guide it in. Hank wanted to go slow, be careful in what he did since he had never done this with a merman and didn’t want to hurt Gavin. But the second he pushed the tip in, Gavin pulled the rest of his length in, his flesh wrapping snugly around Hank’s dick. The human gasped in surprise, then groaned at the tight heat surrounding him. Above him, Gavin mewled once more.

“I won’t last long like this”, Hank pressed out as he began to move his hips in shallow thrusts. Gavin’s body didn’t allow him to pull back out completely so he had to make do with the wiggle room he had. But the silky-tight heat was enough to make his head spin and his toes curl. Hank wasn’t sure if the merman heard him over the sound of his own desperate whines, but he assumed that should need be, Gavin would tell him if something was wrong.

So, Hank began to thrust into the merman in earnest. Gavin’s hands quickly flew from where they were buried in the sand to Hank’s shoulders where they held onto him so tightly, the human was sure he would have bruises the next day. But he couldn’t care less. The muscles inside Gavin’s body convulsed and tightened around him, dictating the rhythm in which he was to thrust into the willing body underneath him and Hank went with it eagerly. He didn’t remember ever being this aroused in his life. Occasionally, he would bend down and try to kiss Gavin, but the merman was far too vocal for this. Every time Hank made an attempt, their kiss ended abruptly, only seconds later, when Gavin moaned or cried out in pleasure. Not wanting to miss out on kissing his partner, however, Hank eventually moved slightly to the side and peppered wet kisses all over the side of Gavin’s neck and the merman’s shoulder. 

Originally, Hank wanted to take things slow, make it enjoyable for the both of them and drag their pleasure out. But ever since he entered Gavin’s body, he found that almost impossible. The muscles inside the merman were urging him on, heightening his own arousal to a degree that, soon enough, he was desperately rutting into the merman underneath him, racing towards his release. Hank had no idea what Gavin was used to, but he felt that things were going to come to an end far too soon. But no matter how much he tried to slow down, his own arousal and the sounds Gavin made only served to spur him on more and more.

Before he knew it, Hank was barely holding on, thrusting into Gavin’s body with abandon, while the merman moaned and whined underneath him. The sounds were music to his ears and Hank would have gladly listened to them forever. But he could feel his arousal growing dangerously in the pit of his stomach. He was almost beyond coherent thought at this point, but he did wonder briefly if he should warn Gavin about his imminent orgasm. Hank considered, merely for a second, the possibility that the merman wouldn’t want him to come inside of him but when he tried to pull out even the slightest bit, Gavin’s body pulled him right back in. So, it seemed that he didn’t have much of a say in that matter, either way. 

Underneath him, Gavin didn’t seem far from his own release either. The merman’s face was contorted in pure bliss, his head thrown back and desperate moans and whines fell from his lips almost constantly. Hank drank them all up, hoping that this was more than a one-time thing and that he would get to hear and see the merman like this far more often.

Then, Gavin’s muscles contracted around him with vigor, and Hank was gone. He had seen his orgasm coming for a while now but when it hit, it was so all-encompassing that it still took him by surprise. Too overwhelmed to stop himself, Hank shouted his pleasure into the cold spring air surrounding them, while he felt himself twitch inside Gavin. Underneath him, the merman echoed him with a cry of his own and for several seconds, the grip of his inner muscles on Hank’s length was almost too much. Then, the pressure lessened slowly but surely as Gavin reached his own peak. 

Hank, in the meantime, was almost coming down from his own high again, when he felt Gavin’s inner muscles contract around him once more, this time in long pulls from the base of his length to the tip as if to suck him dry of everything he had. The pleasure those ministrations brought with them was enough to make Hank go cross-eyed and collapse on Gavin’s chest while his hips moved of their own accord for a moment longer.

Then, finally, Gavin’s body loosened its tight grip on him and let Hank slip free. As soon as he could pull out, the human did so and rolled off the merman to come to rest in the sand next to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the slit closing again as soon as he pulled out fully and it made a shiver run down Hank’s spine, even if he could not really tell why.

For a while, Hank and Gavin just lay there next to each other in the sand, trying to catch their breath. After several long moments, Gavin rolled onto his side and wrapped an arm around Hank. Then, he buried his face against the side of the human’s neck and let out a contented sigh.

“Thank you”, he said softly, and Hank found himself chuckling. 

“The pleasure’s all mine.”

“I don’t know if anything will come of this”, Gavin said after several more moments of silence, “Mating between humans and merfolk is rare and I’ve never heard more than legends. So, I can’t say if this will produce any children or not…”

“It doesn’t matter”, Hank said without taking even a second to think about it. But as he said it, he knew it was true. After Cole’s death, he had been certain that he never wanted children again, knowing that the fear of having and then losing them again would be too much for him to bear. But now that this beautiful thing had happened between Gavin and him, Hank felt like it truly didn’t matter to him anymore. He would be just as content with having a child with Gavin than he would be without one. The simple realization that he had moved on from the horrible losses of the past was enough to make him calm and content. It was barely more than a year ago that Hank had lost a family and when he came here, he thought he would never be happy again. But now he realized he had found a new family with Gavin that he would cherish and protect with everything he had. 

“I can hear you thinking”, the merman commented after a moment, “Stop it. It keeps me from enjoying the moment.” 

With a soft laugh, Hank turned so he faced Gavin and looked deep into the merman’s eyes. He saw all the love and happiness he felt mirrored in those eyes and when he bent down for a soft kiss, he could even taste it on Gavin’s lips. After all the sadness and the hardships that had come over him, Hank was sure that he had found something beautiful and new, something that he had defended before and that he would fight for again if he had to. He would trust Gavin with his life and knew that the merman felt the same way about him. 

All those feelings were so intense and overwhelming that they almost brought Hank to tears. But instead, he smiled into the kiss and wrapped one arm around Gavin in turn, pulling the merman close. 

The two men lay in the sand for what felt like an eternity, a warm breeze caressing their skin and lulling them into a warm sense of security. They had gone through so much together already, Hank was sure nothing could possibly come between them ever again. Gavin was his family now and he would protect him at all cost. One look into the merman’s eyes told him the other felt the same. At the same moment, the two moved closer and met halfway for another kiss full of emotion. Hank knew at that moment that, no matter what the future held, he wanted to spend it at Gavin’s side and would never allow anyone to come between them again. 

The future shone in bright colors in front of them and Hank couldn’t wait to spend every last day of it by Gavin’s side…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go with the second and final chapter of this story! I hope everyone enjoyed this! It was great fun to write and I hope I could bring some joy to people x3

**Author's Note:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed!  
> Comments and kudos are much appreciated! Second part comes out on the 26th!


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